Earlier this week, Carwash eNews featured a story about c-store merchant 7-Eleven Inc. recently marking its 89th anniversary with the first fully autonomous drone delivery to a customer’s residence that new investors can learn from.
Related content: 7-Eleven testing drone delivery to elevate customer service
Teaming up with drone delivery company Flirtey, the c-store leader is testing drone delivery of its most popular products, including frozen slurpees.
In a recent article posted on Inc.com, author Tom Popomaronis notes three powerful lessons that business owners, including new investors in the carwashing industry, can learn from 7-Eleven’s drone delivery testing.
The three lessons, and how they pertain to carwash owners and operators are as follows:
Don’t try to be an expert if you are not one. As noted in Popomaronis’ article, 7-Eleven is in the business of food service convenience and fuel, not drone technology. Partnering up with businesses and consultants and hiring people who are experts in areas where you and your current managers have shortfalls will help you in the long term.
Get to know your customers’ needs. Without keeping the customer in mind when looking to provide a service or offer solutions, new business are setting up for failure. 7-Eleven and Flirtey knew that it couldn’t just offer a subpar drone delivery experience. “Customers want to receive their products or services according to expectation. In this regard, 7-Eleven and Flirtey knew that they had to define success as more than just moving items from one location to another. They carefully designed the delivery box so hot and cold items were separated and wouldn’t spill, ensuring that everything delivered was sanitary, enjoyable and what the customer had in mind,” writes Popomaronis.
Keeping up with evolving buyer trends. Technology impacts all industries, including professional carwashing. Today’s buyers, particularly millennials, expect a quick, convenient and tech-focused service. In 7-Eleven’s case, “even a grab-it-and-go approach isn’t good enough anymore for their increasingly tech-savvy customers,” writes Popomaronis.
Read Inc.’s entire article with video here.
