Online shopping is here to stay. Non-store and online sales in the U.S. alone are expected to jump as much as 13% over last year, reaching nearly $1.2 trillion in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation. Just as online shopping is rising, so are consumers’ expectations for faster, more efficient delivery. From groceries to major electronics, customers increasingly want items delivered to their doorstep the next or even the same day as they place their order.

A buy-online-deliver-from-store (BODFS) model helps retailers leverage in-store inventory to meet demand in today’s fast-paced world. When paired with the Roadie crowdsourced delivery network, this approach shortens the distance and time between shoppers and their orders. But executing on this model requires careful planning and smooth handoffs between brick-and-mortar stores and drivers using the Roadie app. 

Take a look at these four best practices for efficient store-level handoffs that will help your business avoid wasting important minutes in the last mile. 

Make pickup areas and signage clear

Are your crowdsourced drivers picking up orders in the same place as traditional customers? Help them find their way. Clearly mark and direct traffic to parking spaces, loading docks and pickup desks. Is your brick-and-mortar store able to accommodate a reserved entrance for drivers or pickup areas separate from those for the general public? Be sure to mark those, too. All of this will prevent drivers from waiting in the wrong place, wasting precious delivery minutes.

Be sure to determine in advance if the drivers will need to come inside your store to pick up orders, or if you’ll bring the orders to drivers curbside. Keep in mind that you can deliver anything – from cupcakes to couches – using the Roadie app. Roadie’s algorithm will match you with the right driver and vehicle for the job. This means drivers might arrive in anything from a compact sedan to a cargo van. Ensuring your pickup areas are ready to accommodate all types of vehicles helps get orders out the door fast. 

Create a fast lane for delivery drivers

Partnering with Roadie to enable same-day delivery gives your retail operation a competitive advantage, but it also makes timeliness a brand promise. Make no mistake customers will hold brands accountable for late deliveries, so getting orders into drivers’ hands quickly is essential. 

Even if your store location doesn’t have the capacity for separate service desks or entrances, instituting a fast-track lane for drivers can help. Think of it as the retail equivalent of the priority lane at airport security. When priority visitors arrive (in this case, your crowdsourced driver), service desk associates would attend to their time-sensitive needs, and then quickly return to regular customers.

In addition to well-marked pickup areas, retailers should take steps to ensure that orders are complete and ready for pickup when they’re entered into the Roadie system. Publishing the order before it’s ready will lead to drivers waiting for orders for precious minutes that count against your promised delivery window. 

Implement efficient and accurate order fulfillment

An on-time delivery doesn’t count for much if the order isn’t accurate. Leveraging retail-level inventory in combination with crowdsourced delivery is your solution for satisfying more customers faster. But drivers are only responsible for fulfilling that last-mile need not double-checking orders. In order for drivers to leave with the right goods and for customers to get what they asked for retailers must have a comprehensive order-fulfillment process in place. Depending on the size of your operation, this could be a simple hand-off checklist between one team member who fills the order and another who double-checks their work, or it could be automated through your existing online ordering platform. 

This is where Roadie’s application programming interface (API) can help. The Roadie platform can easily integrate with retailers’ existing systems, creating a smooth delivery process from order placement to completed delivery. When an order is uploaded in your system, our platform will tell your driver where and when to pick it up and drop it off — removing the guesswork for your team and the drivers. It’s that easy.

Keep staff informed of your delivery process

The Roadie platform helps elevate your business to meet consumers’ need-it-now, want-it-fast demands but technology can’t do everything. From your picking and packing crew to the Roadie network of drivers, retail businesses rely on humans to get the job done. Communicating your crowdsourced delivery process to all employees is essential for a seamless handoff from store to driver.

The operative words here are “all employees.” Store managers should know the crowdsourced delivery process from start to finish, as well as team members who hand orders to drivers. So should part-time team associates, warehouse staff, customer service team members and cashiers. Retail can be a staffing juggling act. When all of your team members share the same knowledge of the process, you can feel confident that your brand will have a consistently positive relationship with your drivers.

The handoff between store associates and crowdsourced drivers is your brand’s final touchpoint before customers receive their BODFS orders. Prioritizing timeliness, accuracy and communication will make sure every delivery leaves customers delighted and will strengthen the relationship between your team and crowdsourced drivers.

Make same-day delivery from your stores a reality

As retailers adapt to consumer demand for faster delivery, establishing a flexible and scalable store-based fulfillment process coupled with crowdsourcing is a winning solution. Without the limitations and costs of traditional carriers, crowdsourcing ensures your business can respond to customer demand for ultrafast delivery of any item, anytime, anywhere.

Ready to learn more? Download our playbook to discover how your customers can benefit when you pair BODFS with crowdsourced delivery.

Why crowdsourcing is the secret to winning with BODFS