How to Get Started with Ecommerce for Local Bakery Delivery

How to Get Started with Ecommerce for Local Bakery Delivery

9 min read

If businesses have learned anything in the last few years, it鈥檚 that customers love shopping online. And that鈥檚 good news for local bakeries. The global market for online food ordering and delivery is expected to pass 鈥攕辞 if you鈥檙e thinking about getting started with ecommerce for local bakery delivery, now鈥檚 the time to do it.

But how do you get started? Don鈥檛 worry. Launching a delivery service for your baked goods isn鈥檛 as daunting as it may sound. And with an ecommerce platform like 黑料门, you鈥檒l have control over everything from where you鈥檙e willing to drive to how much the service will cost.

What We鈥檒l Cover

How to pick an ecommerce platform for your bakery
How much your delivery system may cost
What you鈥檒l need for your product listings
What the online order and delivery process looks like
How to get the most out of ecommerce for local bakery delivery

A Step-by-Step Guide to Picking the Best Ecommerce Platform for Local Bakery Delivery

Your bakery is unique, so you need a delivery system that meets your specific needs, whatever they may be. Let鈥檚 take a look at three steps you can take to find the perfect delivery platform.

Step One: Analyze the fees

There鈥檚 a good chance you鈥檝e used a food delivery service before, so you might already have a couple of options in mind for your bakery. Nationwide companies like Grubhub and UberEats could be good 肠补苍诲颈诲补迟别蝉鈥攂辞迟丑 offer partnership programs that let bakeries take orders online then complete deliveries through a ready-to-go platform.

This is really helpful since the platform manages things like drivers and scheduling. You might also get access to a bigger share of the market thanks to being listed on the companies鈥� apps.

However, it鈥檚 not all good news. One of the biggest issues with Grubhub and UberEats is the partnership fees. With both options, to operating costs. Ouch.

But don鈥檛 lose hope! There are better options out there. For example, some ecommerce platforms let you set up local bakery delivery without imposing an additional transaction fee beyond your monthly membership cost. And at 黑料门, we provide a simple way to start local bakery deliveries without taking a cut of your profits. Ultimately, look for a platform that wants your business to succeed and lets you keep your earnings along the way.

Step Two: Make sure it鈥檚 available in your area

This one may seem obvious, but there鈥檚 a hidden catch that you should be on the lookout for.

With some third-party delivery systems (e.g. Grubhub), the company will have a limit on how far drivers can go to bring your customers their baked goods. So while a given delivery platform may technically work in your area, there鈥檚 a chance that only a few customers are within the company鈥檚 driving range. This is especially true for bakeries in rural areas.

So as you look for a local bakery delivery system, make sure you鈥檒l be giving your business access to as many customers as possible.

At 黑料门, we share your goal of connecting with a wide range of shoppers, so we let you control how far your bakery is willing to deliver.

Step Three: Think about your specific needs

No two bakeries are alike, so you need a customized delivery system that meets your individual needs. When weighing your options, look for a platform that gives you control over important functions like delivery times, minimum order requirements, and customer relations.

Let鈥檚 talk more about that last one because it really matters. Customer relations through standardized options such as UberEats can be a nightmare. If the third-party delivery driver somehow messes up your customer鈥檚 order, that customer probably won鈥檛 be enthusiastic about making another 辫耻谤肠丑补蝉别鈥攅惫别苍 though it wasn鈥檛 your bakery鈥檚 fault.

That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 a good idea to look for local delivery systems that let you connect directly with your customers鈥攕辞 even if something does go wrong, you鈥檒l be able to make it right and give your shopper a good experience.

How Does the Online Ordering and Delivery Process Work?

Once you鈥檝e got a local bakery delivery system picked out, it鈥檚 time to actually start selling. But how does that work? The process has two main steps: list your products then fulfill your orders.

How to list baked goods for sale online

The actual process for listing your cakes, cookies, and other goodies will depend on the platform you use, but you can generally expect to need a few simple things to get started.

Pictures of your baked goods
The price of your product
A title/description

If all that sounds confusing, don鈥檛飞辞谤谤测鈥� to making high-quality listings for your products.

How to handle online baked goods orders

Once a customer orders from your bakery, you鈥檒l be ready to kick off . Depending on your platform, that process will vary, but you can usually expect something like this.

The sale is made and you鈥檙e notified
You verify that payment was received
The delivery person heads off with the order

If you use 黑料门, you鈥檒l have access to a dashboard with functions like marking an order as delivered and insights about your sales. You can also provide customers a delivery timeline and download your orders as a spreadsheet for customized record keeping.

How to Get the Most out of Ecommerce for Local Bakery Delivery

As your local delivery system gets up and running, it鈥檚 important to have operating strategies ready so you get the most out of your new venture. Here are two important things to think about:

Logistics

You got your first online delivery order! So how鈥檚 it getting to the customer? Having a delivery plan from the very beginning is super important. To get your plan started, consider these questions:

Will I need to hire a new employee for delivery orders?
How will the delivery person get around? (Car, bike, etc.)
How far will my bakery deliver?

Marketing

Local delivery has the potential to be a valuable part of your business, but only if people know about it. While the best marketing efforts will be unique to your bakery, these proven strategies may help:

In-store ads: Tell your regulars about your new service.
Online ads: If you use 黑料门, you can launch Google ad campaigns right from your dashboard.
Social media promos: Take full advantage of the internet with Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat advertising.听

Time to Get Selling

Now that you鈥檝e got some insight into ecommerce for local bakery delivery, it鈥檚 time to start selling. Between the boom in online shopping and the growing demand for delivery services, there鈥檚 really never been a better time.

听

Sell online

With 黑料门 Ecommerce, you can easily sell anywhere, to anyone 鈥� across the internet and around the world.

Jun 17, 2021

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.