« Back to articles

6 Most Important On-Demand Delivery Industry Trends to Watch

Highlights six key trends shaping the future of on-demand delivery services.

Your all-in-one local delivery app for Shopify

From transportation to food and grocery delivery to even arranging a doctor’s appointment, the on-demand services sector has seen fast expansion.

According to the American Community Survey (ACS), the on-demand economy attracts more than 22.4 million clients each year, spending $57.6 billion. The key reason for this is that businesses are implementing new technology revolutions and emerging trends that provide ease to clients while also boosting their business productivity.

We’ve identified on-demand delivery industry developments in this article, which are establishing the groundwork for the on-demand service economy in the next years. Let’s have a look at some of the current trends.

Table of Contents

  • 6 On-Demand Delivery Industry Trends to Watch
  • 1) Expanding the On-Demand Delivery Services Workforce
  • 2) On-Demand Delivery Will Be Available in More Industries
  • 3) COVID-19 Sanitation and Safety Measures
  • 4) Subscriptions Delivery
  • 5) Integration of Drones with On-Demand Delivery Apps
  • 6) Using Route Optimization Software
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About On-Demand Delivery
  • How Are You Going To Respond To These On-Demand Delivery Trends?

6 On-Demand Delivery Industry Trends to Watch

Let’s define on-demand delivery services first before looking at industry trends for delivery companies. On-demand services allow users or consumers to get exactly what they want, when they want it. It might be anything from a ride to groceries to a supper. Now, let’s look at the most promising trends for the delivery industry’s future.

1) Expanding the On-Demand Delivery Services Workforce

You can start exploring your abilities, expertise, and even resources utilizing on-demand applications, thanks to the growing popularity of on-demand services. Such on-demand apps make it simple for you to provide consistent and reliable extra money while also assisting in the identification of possible consumers.

On the other hand, by building new on-demand apps and expanding service offerings to customers, your company will be prepared to deal with the growing workforce. On-demand apps have a bright future for your company, and here are some of the benefits:

  • The on-demand economy is valued $57.6 billions, according to the Harvard Business Report.
  • Assists new enterprises in raising money and improving their market position.
  • Convenience and simplicity in building efficient company strategy.
  • Has a high level of adaptability to deal with future technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and even Blockchain in order to react to changing market conditions.

2) On-Demand Delivery Will Be Available in More Industries

You’ll see an increase in the number of industries that will join the on-demand service domain as the workforce grows.

Healthcare is the best illustration of an on-demand delivery business. Following the global pandemic, the healthcare industry has expanded its offerings by pioneering the use of on-demand apps.

Many of the main industries listed below are also very likely to expand.

E-Commerce

By 2027, the worldwide e-commerce market is estimated to reach $16,215.6 billion. The following are some important trends that are striking or will hit the market in the coming years with such potential growth.

  • One-time buyers: These are customers who a brand has previously acquired but has been unable to retain or entice for future purchases. As a result, it’s become more important than ever for online merchants and brands to be more aggressive and smart in order to keep and attract customers.
  • Online selling: According to Statista Digital Market Outlook, eCommerce revenue in the United States will reach 563.4 billion dollars by 2025. It’s all because of the convenience and comfort that online purchasing delivers to clients. Additionally, mobile apps and websites with more user-friendly functionality will undoubtedly burst both existing and future customers.
  • Customized packaging: Packaging is one of the most important aspects of the eCommerce market, and demand is on the rise. Package is also a factor in a manufacturer’s marketing efforts: the better the packaging, the more likely customers are to buy from you. Custom packaging creates a brand-new box for each and every item in your shipment.
  • Increased mobile shopping: Another key trend is the increase in mobile shopping. Customers may shop from anywhere and at any time using mobile shopping. Mobility aids eCommerce organizations in creating a better client experience by facilitating everything from purchasing to payment processing.
  • Payment processing: Many eCommerce stores accept digital wallets such as Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or Apple Pay, as well as PayPal. However, the increasing popularity of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin will help your business in a variety of ways, including lower transaction costs and no reverse transactions. Overstock is the best example. It accepts payments from clients over a Bitcoin platform.
  • Voice shopping: By 2025, nearly 75% of US households will have access to smart speakers. For someone who has spent a lot of time on the internet, voice shopping can be difficult. Your clients, on the other hand, only need to talk about the product they want to buy, and believe me when I say that this is one of the most recent market trends.

Transportation

By 2025, the market for on-demand transportation will be worth $304.97 billion. Let’s take a look at some of the most promising trends in the transportation business.

Electric Vehicles

Electric cars will be employed on beverage routes, final-mile delivery, and short-haul distribution by a growing number of shops and shippers.

Amazon has announced that it will purchase 100,000 electric delivery trucks from Rivianwhile in the following years.

UPS, FedEx, and DHL have all purchased a modest number of electric trucks.

This year, Anheuser-Busch placed an order for 21 BYD electric semi-vehicles, which appears to be the largest order for class 8 electric trucks in the United States.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) (MaaS)

The Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 23.2 percent from USD 52.56 billion in 2019 to USD 280.77 billion in 2027.

MaaS (mobility as a service) is a sort of service that provides a single digital channel for planning, booking, and paying for various forms of mobility services.

The MaaS concept is increasing due to a growing emphasis on taking a user-centric approach to mobility services as an integrated system.

Food Delivery

During the projection period, the market for on-demand food delivery would reach $192.16 billion.

Meal delivery service for small groups

“Small portion meal delivery service” is another term for it.

It’s a new delivery option, as the name implies, aimed at clients who want to buy little meals and pay cheaper delivery prices. Light nibbles and snack items are also available with this on-demand delivery service.

The convenience of ordering food online and adjusting to changing consumer behavior fuel the food delivery sector. However, the growing danger of restaurant-provided on-demand food delivery services will act as a roadblock to growth.

Multiple orders from various stores delivered in one package

Customers had to order food from only one establishment at a time at first. And there were just a few third-party delivery companies that could transport food from various market merchants.

However, the food delivery industry’s present market condition has fundamentally transformed. Top-tier meal delivery services such as Uber Eats, Postmates, GrubHub, and even DoorDash allow their clients to order food from a variety of eateries.

Grocery Delivery on Demand

Fresh groceries are delivered to your customer’s home within minutes of placing an order with your grocery delivery service. As a result, clients will have more convenience in their lives.

Customers have entire freedom to focus on other tasks instead of standing in huge lines at cash registers. Furthermore, customers are not need to travel from one location to another in order to purchase products from the store. They’re simply addicted to hyperlocal delivery models, which are on-demand business models in which local suppliers meet the needs of tiny towns.

This business model will become an important part of your grocery delivery business plan because it ensures complete pricing transparency and gives customers confidence of quality and trust.

Due to the industry’s growth, several significant eCommerce companies, including as Amazon and Flipkart, have entered the grocery delivery market. Studies and considerable study indicate that online grocery delivery will stay popular even after a pandemic.

Package Delivery

Following the COVID-19 epidemic, the notion of on-demand parcel delivery was born, and it will continue to be employed for many years to come.

Customers may easily mail and receive things such as small envelopes, files, documents, or other important items at their doorsteps.

For example, you may be in the office when it occurs to you that you have left your laptop or important paper at home. A parcel delivery service might assist you in this situation by delivering your things to your office.

These services provide customers with unparalleled convenience and speed. On-demand courier and package delivery services employ cutting-edge technology to create parcel delivery apps that provide instant quotes, real-time delivery, and time and cost savings.

3) COVID-19 Sanitation and Safety Measures

Although the vaccination program reduces infection rates, COVID-19 safety procedures must be properly followed. As a result, all on-demand delivery services are required to follow all COVID-19 processes and sanitization methods.

The ideal solution to such a situation is contactless delivery. As a result, several on-demand delivery companies have switched to contact delivery for their own and their customers’ safety.

In the future years, disinfection and sanitization services such as residential sanitizing, commercial sanitizing, industrial sanitizing, office sanitizing, and building sanitizing will remain popular. In addition, it states that all non-porous surfaces must be sanitized.

4) Subscriptions Delivery

Delivery subscriptions are the next important on-demand delivery trend that will help your company enhance client loyalty and retention.

The global epidemic altered the commercial environment as a whole. It prepared consumers to order food and home items over the internet. As a result, several on-demand delivery companies began to give clients incentives and service offerings. And believe me when I say that subscription-based distribution will become the de facto standard for many demand delivery organizations in the next years.

Customers and businesses both profit from subscription services. Customers can take advantage of benefits such as free shipping, reduced rates, and more. Businesses, on the other hand, can acquire actionable information fast to increase sales and profitability.

5) Integration of Drones with On-Demand Delivery Apps

Drones can also be used to transport food or other supplies, which may surprise you.

Drones have previously proved successful in delivering medicines and medical equipment to remote locations.

Drones for food delivery have been developed in the United States. There are, however, some technical and legal issues to be handled. Regardless of the hurdles, we can see this trend becoming a part of the on-demand industry.

One option is to use specialized applications to provide drone delivery services. On-demand service apps may look for ways to add drones as one of the delivery options for clients.

6) Using Route Optimization Software

Any distribution and delivery company’s major goal is to save time on the road, save money on fuel, and, most importantly, increase customer happiness. Route planners, often known as route optimization software, assist them in achieving their objectives.

For multi-stop deliveries, route optimization software assists your delivery driver in reaching their locations by determining the most efficient route.

Let’s pretend you’re on a trip with twenty stops. As a result, you’ll have around 50 million alternative routes open to you on average. You’ll need technologically advanced route optimization software to help you plan your route and locate the best delivery routes when managing such a large fleet.

Because of how simple EasyRoutes made their delivery operations, one of our customers, Bloomen.ca, was able to acquire their own in-house fleet of drivers.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About On-Demand Delivery

Is the need for delivery services increasing?

Yes, following the global pandemic, on-demand services for delivery firms are fast expanding in tandem with the market’s increasing growth rate.

What trends do you think will influence the future of online food ordering systems?

The following are some of the developments that will have an impact on the future of online meal ordering systems:

Food can be ordered via a tweet, a smartwatch, a smartTV, or even self-driving cars.
Analyzing Big Data
Options for many delivery methods
Robots, drones, and even parachute Ghost kitchens are all options for delivery.

How Are You Going To Respond To These On-Demand Delivery Trends?

We came upon a comprehensive review of industry trends for delivery companies.

You may boost business and staff productivity by incorporating such creative ideas into your company. Furthermore, other major businesses such as eCommerce, transportation, food delivery, grocery delivery, and even parcel delivery might benefit from such trends.

The good news is that such delivery companies can use route optimization software to assist their delivery drivers in finding the most efficient route. EasyRoutes is one such software solution that allows you to make work more accessible by delivering the finest delivery routes to the destination to your delivery driver.

Get EasyRoutes on the Shopify App Store

About Roundtrip

Roundtrip's mission is to equip every business with the software tools they need to deliver products to their customers in a delightful way. Thousands of Shopify merchants worldwide choose EasyRoutes to power their local deliveries across dozens of product categories, from meal kits and groceries to coffee, cupcakes, kibble, and so much more. Our easy-to-use route planning and delivery optimization app is certified Built for Shopify, a two-time Shopify staff pick, and the top rated local delivery app on the Shopify App Store.

"We can get the product to the customer faster than USPS."
Third Day Coffee Roasters
Coffee delivery in Ohio 🇺🇸
Designed to make deliveries easy