Set up geofencing technology to improve your curbside pickups

Amid the pandemic, consumers are increasingly seeking contactless solutions for safe transactions.

Businesses analyzing the shift in consumer behavior are refining their operations on in-store management, delivery systems, specifically curbside pickups.

Many restaurants and retailers have integrated curbside pickups with geofencing technology. They get updates of customers on-route to their stores, allowing employees to deliver orders as soon as the customer arrives.

Curbside pickup with geofencing increases operational efficiency, saving you time and money while bringing a great experience to your customers.

curbside pickup with geofencing at a restuarant

Curbside pickup with geofencing
Curbside pickup in restaurants
Curbside pickups in retail
Future of curbside pickups with geofencing

Curbside pickup with Geofencing and their use cases

What is a curbside pickup with geofencing?

With the help of GPS and Wifi, businesses can select and mark off a geographical area from a map and set up a digital barrier around it. When a customer comes within the selected area to pick their orders, employees automatically get a notification when the customer arrives at the store.

Curbside pickup with geofencing in restaurants

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The pandemic has caused the restaurants to operate at reduced dine-in capacity and increase curbside pickups. With geofencing capabilities, restaurants can creatively serve customers fresh and high-quality food, while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Minimizing contact through geofencing alerts

By integrating a geofencing SDK in restaurant apps, employees at restaurants can be alerted as customers approach their location and make sure their order is ready when the customer arrives.

Geofencing helps in providing safe and fresh food

Curbside pickups following the safety norms also need to maintain the quality and freshness of the food. To achieve this, restaurants must have orders ready at a precise time as promised, and customers must arrive at the assigned time.

Geofencing can help restaurants prioritize orders making customers happy by delivering fresh and warm food. They can even start preparing orders based on how far away a customer is from the restaurant location.

Geofencing informs customers and operators about restaurant traffic

Restaurants can use geofencing to track visitor peak times and make informed decisions accordingly.

Customers can be notified about the traffic at the curbside and minimize long waiting times and crowds.

Panera bread and DoorDash are two services that have successfully deployed geofences to help customers from having to wait long on the curb for their orders to be ready.

According to Panera bread, after the implementation of the curbside pickup with geofencing, 65% of their total revenue has come from digital sales only. A survey conducted by DoorDash showed that forty-four percent cited affordability as the top reason to use a curbside pickup, and a vast majority (82%) said they would take their food home after picking up their orders.

Curbside pickups with geofencing in the retail industry

curbside pickup with geofencing at Walmart

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Geofencing and curbside pickups are already improving customer experiences in some of the top retail stores in the US. According to the data from Adobe Analytics, between late February and late March, curbside and in-store pickup orders jumped to 87%.

US-based SpartanNash grocery chain piloted a new service that allows stores to slash waiting times for curbside pickups. The geofencing system also helps stores to meet customers as soon as they pull up.

The geofencing pilot tracks shoppers’ locations through the SpartanNash app. SpartanNash expects to provide a new level of service for shoppers at their local grocery stores.

Learning from the trend, Walmart has now made the whole process of getting groceries via curbside easy.

Customers place an order, schedule pickup time, and when groceries are ready, Walmart sends a notification to the customer’s phone.

Part of that notification asks customers to check-in with the Walmart app to let the store know they are on the way. As customers pull into their parking lot, the app automatically recognizes that they have arrived using GPS and Walmart’s geofence.

Future of curbside pickups with Geofencing

Contactless is going to be the norm of 2020 and the years coming ahead. Geofencing is going to play an increasingly important role amongst restaurants and retailers who use delivery and curbside pickup.

Many SMBs and enterprises are opening their stores in phases with in-store pickup and curbside service. Geofencing technology can help in simplifying these processes. It can efficiently maximize their revenues while reducing human-to-human contact.

You can further leverage the power of geofencing by retargeting acquired customers through location-specific offers. By sending contextual notifications to customers, it can help grow your customer retention and brand loyalty. You can enhance your marketing opportunities by integrating geofencing SDK to your existing apps and other marketing channels.

There are many changes that consumer-facing businesses have to make in their business models to survive this pandemic. But if curbside pickups are part of your plan, you should implement geofencing now.