In the last months of the year, people are busy looking for Christmas presents. However, for many, delicious food is also a must! Research by RouteLogic shows that the search behaviour in the month of December for a search term like "recipes Christmas dinner" or "prepare Christmas dinner" increases exponentially. Last year, this was up to +533% compared to November. Butchers, fish markets, bakers, deli markets and, of course, catering establishments prepare for extreme crowds at this time every year. So that consumers can get everything they need for Christmas dinner or dine out. Especially now that everything is possible again without restrictions this year.
Search behaviour during the last months of the year
Searching behaviour often starts increasing as early as October. People start delving into different options. In 2021, the search volume in October, for the terms just mentioned, among others, was 161,290. In November 2021, this rose to 364,980, to rise to a search volume of 2,310,130 in December. In the current year, search volume is already at 499,160 in November. An increase of 36.8% over last year, that promises something!
Supermarkets are running at full speed to provide consumers with their required products in December, but so are online fresh food markets. Online fresh food markets are parties that supply food professionals such as hospitality and food specialty shops like a butcher or baker. One player new to this market is QSTA. A platform that offers smaller and/or new food concepts the opportunity to distribute their product to food professionals. These food professionals simply order their (chilled) fresh products online and receive them at their doorstep the next day. So that the food professionals can serve consumers every day, also in December.
But how does QSTA fill in during the holiday season?
"December is traditionally a busy month in foodservice and retail because of the holiday season. We expect to process up to 40% more orders at QSTA than in an average month. This is a fun challenge, of course. To cope with this rush, we have recently invested in smart software to calculate, for example, the load factor of our delivery vans. This enables us to load the delivery vans optimally and deliver all orders. So that our customers can sell their fresh products to consumers every day and no Christmas dinner goes down the drain," says Rian Faaij, Digital Marketing Director at QSTA.
For this to happen, it requires a very efficient last mile for QSTA to serve its customers every day. After all, it sounds like there are only winners with this concept, almost too good for words. Therefore, this requires a clear explanation.
QSTA acts as a distribution platform to the professional market for new food concepts. With its platform, QSTA focuses mainly on distributing new and unique products. Products that you do not buy on a pallet at the Sligro. The food professional easily orders these products in desired, and therefore smaller quantities, from QSTA from different distributors. In addition, QSTA immediately takes on the last step of the supply chain. The most visible link and the most costly for start-up food concepts notices QSTA. A step which the new food concepts often fail at, because their product is new and is not purchased in large quantities.
5 tips to organize the last mile as efficient and sustainable as possible
To accomplish this whole process, QSTA gives you 5 tips on how to organize your last mile as efficiently and sustainably as possible, even during the busy holiday season.
- Consolidating orders means fewer trips in the supply chain. Calculate the load factor of your delivery vans. By taking this into account, it is possible to create an optimal schedule per delivery driver.
- Invest in smart technologies, such as route planning and tracking software, to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the last mile. We use RouteLogic for this purpose.
- Work paperless. This makes it possible to intervene in real time in your route when something does change. It also eliminates delays caused by planning or delivery documents.
- Work with other companies and suppliers to combine delivery routes to reduce fuel costs and CO2 emissions.
- Communicate clearly with customers about delivery dates and times to manage expectations and provide great delivery experience.
By applying this during the last step of the supply chain, QSTA is helping to ensure that consumers enjoy a delicious dinner during Christmas!
