Why is that delivery driver making two stops in one day to the same location?
We are all painfully aware of the inconvenience and time wasted when a driver must go back to a customer location to pick up payment for an alcohol delivery dropped off earlier that day. Now add sky-rocketing fuel costs as they erode even more of your alcohol distribution margins on the return trip. Also, consider the profits wasted on fuel as trucks idle in parking lots while drivers wait for delivery payment throughout the day. The amount of money lost through the rising fuel cost inevitably compromises the route efficiency you work so hard to maintain. And in the end, your customers suffer as increased costs are passed on to them.
If history repeats itself, expect that alcohol distributors will possibly find the need to add temporary fuel surcharges on delivery invoices. While this is not unusual, expect that it will be met with retailer angst. Many retailers are still recovering from a costly pandemic, staffing challenges, inflation, and scarcity of supplies. These days added costs for deliveries are the last thing any customer wants to see.
But what if there was a way for alcohol distributors to eliminate return trips for payment and driver time spent at each location? This impact on fuel consumption would increase route efficiency, drive margin protection, and keep costs down for customers.
Would you believe it if someone told you – “There’s an app for that!”? Well, it just so happens we created one. It’s a convenient tool, rather than an app, that can be used on any mobile device. Fintech’s eVite tool is free and allows sales reps and drivers to assist customers with signing up for automated alcohol invoice payment right on the spot in just a couple of minutes. There is no cost to retailers to pay electronically, and distributors save a minimum of $5.63* on delivery alone.
If your teams are already using tablets in the field for orders and product education, they are ready to receive customized training on our Distributor eVite tool. You can request a demo here.
