In the advent of the pandemic more and more people are reliant on online means of shopping for groceries and other necessities. Fruits and vegetables always need to be fresh when they reach the home of the customer. The shipping method is made for non-perishable items and requires extra care for fresh items such as fruits and vegetables. Luckily, new delivery methods are being developed to keep perishable items fresh at the time of delivery. Here are some tips and tricks to keep all the groceries fresh during shipping.
1. Necessary Quality Checks
The quality of all the items before delivery needs to be checked so that only the right items are shipped and no money is wasted. Before the items are made ready for delivery, checking the quality of the products is necessary. It will build credibility among the customers and have them come back to you for more groceries.
Certain levels of checking the quality include the color and the general state of the fruit. Any wilted grocery or rotten items should not be shipped. Removing these items is important to prevent contamination of the rest of the fruits that are fresh. The shipping process should also be streamlined so that everything reaches the customers in a short period.
2. Stock Items in Demand
Looking at the sales patterns will help determine which fruits and vegetables are in demand. Stocking only enough groceries that will be sold out is the best case scenario for preventing wastage of capital. Looking at the sales of comparators will give a fair idea of the kind of grocery items that are bought frequently and others that do not sell. The use of a bulk bin can make weighing the right quantity of fruits easier which is why you should only go with supplies from bulkbin.com.
Since only the necessary items will be stocked it will be easy to have them all shipped in time and reduce the loss occurring due to rotted items. The stock should also take into account the location from which the demand for a particular grocery item is coming. This will help in providing target services as per the customer requirement.
3. Package Right
The type of packaging used for grocery can accelerate the process of ripening which can lead to rotten items reaching the customers. Any kind of moisture is a big no-no because it can leave the fresh fruits to deteriorate in quality by the time it reaches the customers. The most common way to ship fruits and vegetables is to wrap them in airtight plastic. If any kind of cardboard box is being used make sure to use adequate tape to seal all the openings.
Different types of fresh fruits should be packaged together so that there is less chance of cross contamination. For bigger quantities of fresh items wooden boxes should be used. Plastic boxes are better for all the fruits that are softer like strawberries or peaches. Extra plastic can act as insulation to keep the fruits protected from heat of the atmosphere. Paper should not be used for long term shipping methods because it can lead to more moisture in the container.
4. Choose the Right Storage Conditions
The right storage condition can directly impact the freshness of the groceries. Most of the fruits can easily sustain themselves for multiple days at room temperature. Keeping them in a cooler space is always preferable but not always feasible for small businesses. When you talk of room temperature, it is nothing more than 25 degree Celsius. Any fruit can wilt if it is exposed to higher temperatures or even the heat from summer days.
It is imperative that the shipping vehicle has a roof or a system to provide a relatively cooler temperature to all the items that are susceptible to rotting. Using ice gel packs in bigger shipping containers work well to reduce the temperature and give the items fresh when they are delivered at the doorstep of all the customers. Bamboo containers are in an eco-friendly way which is also cost effective in terms of keeping the storage condition school.
5. Find Out The Life of All Items
Since you will be getting involved in the shipping process it is important to know the average shelf life of different grocery items. Vegetables like garlic, carrot, celery, cabbage, red onion, and potatoes can easily survive a transit of up to 7 days. Watermelons, tomatoes, peaches, avocados, oranges, spinach, and broccoli can last for up to 4 days if they are packaged properly. Cucumbers, bananas, zucchini, strawberries, corn and peas have the shortest shelf life and need to be delivered within a couple of days to prevent rotting.
6. Use The Fastest Method
Using an expedited shipping method is the best bet to get good service to your customers. One cannot rely on a delivery talk to make out of town deliveries within a single day. Deliveries within the city limits are more feasible if categorized according to areas.
All of the deliveries of a particular area or district should be done together to save time and reach the customers in the most efficient manner. The express shipping option should be used for all the deliveries meant for out of town. It will cost a little too much but good service will also help in building a loyal customer base.
The Takeaway
It is very easy to make the shipping process accommodate fresh fruits. Streamlining the process and packaging everything right can save time and money. Keeping only the items that will be in high demand is also good because the customers will have a certain expectation of what to expect from your business.
Making sure that shipping is through the fastest method possible will build trust and credibility of your service over competitors. The right storage conditions include maintaining the temperature and choosing the right container means keeping the integrity of all the groceries safe from damage.