Consumers have grown passionate about innovative, artisanal foods, from small-batch, ancient-grain bread to fresh-off-the-boat seafood and “vintage” cakes. Thanks to new habits formed during the pandemic, consumers want instant access whenever a craving strikes, with orders delivered to their doorsteps just in time for movie night or a weekend getaway. For many, the desire to support small businesses is also contributing to the popularity of artisanal foods. 

Savvy makers of gourmet and artisanal foods such as bakers, fisheries, cottage food kitchens and others are leaning into this opportunity by offering delivery experiences as exceptional as their products. Crowdsourced delivery through Roadie ensures even the most delicate dessert or temperature-sensitive meal reaches eager customers in perfect condition. 

Speed wins

According to Statista, the market for “quick commerce,” defined as ultra-fast and extremely efficient delivery of online orders to customers, is growing at a 15.2% compound annual rate. The quality and speed of delivery is becoming key to standing out, particularly in high-density markets where there’s a lot of competition. Plus, the right delivery solution can help expand market reach by as much as 75 miles from a brick and mortar location. 

Enabling passionate fans to connect to their favorite treats anytime they like is a great way to promote loyalty — and revenue. According to the Specialty Foods Association, 75% of consumers overall and 79% of millennials are specialty food buyers, driving a market that is growing at an 11% CAGR. 

For example, a well-known bakery in New York City uses real, locally sourced ingredients in its desserts. It’s essential that customers across the metro area can get their deliveries quickly and at peak quality. The bakery originally offered in-house delivery to meet its customers’ high expectations, but high costs drove them to explore on-demand delivery partners. The bakery’s partnership with Roadie quickly grew to account for 70% of the shop’s deliveries, resulting in fewer customer reports of late orders, tracking issues and damaged goods.

Delivering delectables

Such careful attention to quality is important to many artisanal and craft food makers. The challenge of ensuring a perishable item arrives at its destination in prime condition has prevented some companies from offering delivery at all. 

However, crowdsourced delivery with Roadie changes all that. Unlike most delivery solutions for perishable items that focus on volume over quality in terms of food delivery — and consequently treat a fragile pie the same as a fast food delivery — Roadie drivers can give special attention to products that may have special requirements like delicate handling or temperature control. That sort of extra care can make a big difference in the customer experience. 

Sending items through Roadie’s platform brings the following benefits:

• An ability to provide special instructions for your driver, like how they should position and handle the item they’re delivering. 
• Access a network of 200,000 independent drivers in their own vehicles, ensuring a quick start to your delivery regardless of your location.
• The capability to contact your driver directly or share the driver’s contact information with your customer, meaning delivery issues get cleared up fast — a feature most traditional delivery companies don’t offer. 
• On-demand scheduling to ensure the best time for the item to leave your location at the peak of freshness and arrive when your customer is there to receive it.
• End-to-end delivery status tracking via Roadie’s portal and access to real-time status alerts, so you know when your order is picked up, when it arrives, and when it’s delivered with a proof of delivery photo. 
• Options like API integration with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, or a user-friendly web app with enterprise-grade features like bulk upload for businesses.

Roadie’s crowdsourced delivery also allows you to batch your orders, so you can spend less time coordinating pickups and more time growing your business. Businesses sending more than five daily deliveries with Roadie save an average of 25% on delivery costs. There are no hidden fees, and Roadie offers a free cost estimator tool, so you’ll never be surprised. 

Roadie enables you to reach a much larger radius of customers than most standard couriers  — as far as 100 miles from your location. In fact, an artisan bakery customer was able to solve its delivery problems and grow its delivery business by 40% using Roadie’s crowdsourced delivery solutions. 

Unlock a whole new revenue stream with Roadie’s crowdsourced delivery platform. Learn more about our offerings for artisan food providers.