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Successful rewards delivery is a brand experience.

 

It’s scary to think that the courier handing your rewards over to recipients is a critical brand moment. But often that’s the first point of real human contact on the reward journey. This means that your delivery guy has the power to change the perception of your offering.

If that moment seems out of your control, you’re going to want to read on.

It starts with a holistic brand experience

Each time someone comes into contact with your brand there’s an opportunity to create customer loyalty and engagement. From discovery to research, the first reward program encounter and every single micro-moment in between.

What’s more, your suppliers, employees, customers (happy or not), brand advocates and brand custodians are all stakeholders in your brand relationships.

Creating a holistic set of conditions that can influence the feelings these stakeholders have about your business is the only way to go. Thankfully, there’s a wave of automation, digitisation and human-centric marketing happening, giving you ample tools with which to inject your brand into every part of their journey with you.

Whatever you do, watch out for the delivery gap promise

While a holistic brand experience may sound like a holy grail of sorts, there are simple truths that can easily guide your way. Like the fact that a reward is a gesture meant to delight and ignite loyalty. If it doesn’t arrive on time, intact, and with a smile, the entire customer experience is derailed – the delivery gap promise.

According to Statista, slow delivery times cause a 26% drop off rate during online sales. Now, the eCommerce model is different from that of a rewards program, but the delivery experience is an aspect of both.

And the risks of a failed delivery model are the same – where expectations aren’t met, negative perceptions and decreased engagement abound.

What’s more, tech-savvy consumers have lots of options and are quick to look elsewhere. Don’t forget, said consumers are your employees, suppliers, channel partners and clients too. Which means these factors ring true for not just the B2C space, but B2B and B2E rewards programs as well.

The delivery logistics industry is on your side

Everyone and their granny is ordering stuff online and they all demand logistics like ‘same-day delivery’. Those demands have resulted in a highly-energised delivery industry looking for innovative solutions.

Amazon has, of course, taken the lead with over 100 million people invested in their Prime offering (shipping perks, discounts and more). Highlighting the perceived value of the best, fastest, most convenient delivery option.

Last year the company opened new shipping centres in major cities so as to ensure last-mile delivery solutions. Google, Target, and Walmart have also joined the race. And with those heavy hitters forging the way, there are now concrete formulas to follow when it comes to your own processes.

Hyperlocal delivery startups are doing it right

Another offshoot of the eCommerce boom is hyperlocal delivery – an on-demand delivery model where service providers get products and services locally and deliver them to customers in the same geographical area.

Sebastian Steinhauser, CEO & Founder of Parcelly says that “hyper-local fulfilment and delivery is the future in urban logistics.” The idea being that the closer you are to the source, the faster and more reliable your service will be.

At the moment there are around 1 067 hyperlocal startups operating globally. Each offering innovative solutions tailored to the unique environments they operate in. These agile businesses are ideal partners for big corporations because they take delivery logistics to the next level.

For example, Rappi (Colombia) crowdsources their delivery personnel who earn through tips and delivery fees. And Zomato, which is an online and mobile app, gives restaurants the opportunity to create their own ordering app that integrates with their platform.

Fetcher (Dubai) delivers packages to customers wherever they are at that moment. The company uses GPS and smartphones to pinpoint the locations. Which means no more waiting at home for a delivery. And Flexport (San Francisco) has even set up a cloud based platform that, “analyses real-time global trade data and activities from importers, exporters, trucking companies, ocean carriers, airlines, customs and terminals to specify the most efficient way to move goods through friction points, no matter where they are travelling.”

Ways you can optimise your reward delivery

Unpack the whole delivery experience. Work with your delivery supplier to find ways to inject your brand into what can be a rather dull, logistical exercise.

Here are some questions to help get you started as you develop your customer/employee journey narrative:

1. What will the reward recipient have to do during the delivery experience and how can you make the  process easier? For example, look at the technology involved in the signing process, how the parcel      is tracked, ways to personalise the post-delivery process, and go the extra mile.

2. What questions will the reward receiver be asking at delivery? How can you prepare your supply        channel partner to best serve your brand in those moments?

3. What are your delivery touchpoints? Does your channel partner have enough reach/fulfilment centres? Can you empower your partners to improve delivery timelines and management?

4. What emotions will the recipient  feel at the moment of delivery? Can you find ways to make that experience that much better for them?

5. Have you looked objectively at your current delivery standing? If you spot weaknesses, you can grow and change.

6. Who or what is ensuring the reward delivery process is a positive experience? Those are key stakeholders that you need to turn into brand champions.

Creating value every step of the way

At the end of the day, the actual reward always takes centre stage. But that doesn’t mean you should leave the logistics of delivery to your courier partner. You need to be creating value at every step of the reward journey. That starts with closing the delivery gap promise.

There’s much to be learnt from the hyperlocal startup delivery movement, which is why it’s important to solidify relationships with your logistics partners. That way you gain some control over the delivery moment and can hopefully, together, find innovative solutions that add value to your brand experience.

 

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