Tailoring your delivery menu to evolving consumer demands is a powerful tool to hook new customer and bring back regulars.
Here, MasterFoods’ tips to getting it right.
1. Divide your meals
Some meals travel well, while others are prone to crumble or go soggy during the delivery process. Give consumers restaurant-quality meals at home by dividing your dishes into hot, cold, cooked and raw, and package them separately. This will help them hold texture and maintain freshness.
2. Make food safety a priority
Not every delivery goes to plan, and it is important to factor in time for unforeseen detours without compromising food safety. When in doubt, use the two-hour/four-hour rule to make sure potentially hazardous food is safe, even if it’s been out of refrigeration.
The rule specifies that food held between 5°C and 60°C for less than two hours can be used or put back in the fridge to use later. When it is unrefrigerated for two to four hours, it can still be used or sold, but can’t go back in the fridge, and if it reaches four hours or more, it must be thrown away.
3. Don’t forget your customers wants and needs
Listening to what your customers want will help you create a delivery offering that keeps them coming back for more. If you don’t know who you are targeting with a new meal or service, chances are it’s missing the mark. Position each dish to cater to an occasion, demographic, profitability, or other needs.
4. For DIY kits, make instructions, clear, visual, and succinct
If your customers need to do anything to your dish before they can eat it, your instructions need to be clear and succinct. Creating an instructions card will help make sure they get the full experience of your dish. Where necessary, be sure to communicate the “why” behind each step, to demonstrate why a specific direction will change the flavour profile.
5. Make your dish a little different to stand out from the competition
Offering a point of difference, whether through flavour, experience or packaging, will help you hold your ground in a competitive environment and build loyalty. Consider why your regulars come back to you – do you have a creative spin on a favourite dish, provide them a unique at-home experience, or does your packaging go beyond the norm?
6. Tell the world
If you don’t embrace marketing, nobody will hear you! In the digital age, telling your own story through social media and keeping your online presence updated is a priceless opportunity.
Use your social media presence to engage customers by providing a mix of content and posting regularly. But don’t stop there. Your own website is a strong selling tool, so make sure it is updated regularly, showcases your promotions and has plenty of mouth-watering photos.
For more tips and tricks to nailing delivery, every time, download MasterFoods Rogue magazine here.
