10.10.2024
Zhong Xu, CEO and co-founder of Deliverect, is no stranger to the restaurant industry. His entrepreneurial journey began at the young age of 17, building websites and developing POS solutions for Asian restaurants. This early exposure ignited a passion for technology’s potential to transform the food sector, a passion that would eventually lead him to co-found Deliverect.
Deliverect’s innovative software tackles a key challenge in today’s restaurant landscape: the seamless integration of third-party food delivery platforms with restaurant POS systems. In a world where online ordering and delivery have become essential for success, Deliverect’s platform simplifies operations, reduces errors, and allows restaurants to focus on what they do best – serving delicious food and creating exceptional guest experiences.
This Spotlight Interview delves into Deliverect’s impact on the restaurant industry, exploring the company’s vision, its innovative solutions, and Zhong Xu’s insights on the evolving relationship between restaurants and their customers in the digital age.
What inspired you to create Deliverect, and what specific challenges in the restaurant industry did you aim to address?
Deliverect’s goal has always been to connect the restaurant with their customers –– whether that’s via third party delivery apps, reservation platforms, or marketing channels. Deliverect’s evolving products help make large restaurant operators’ lives easy so that they can spend less time understanding systems and more time doing what they love and cherish most – providing an excellent meal and dining experience to their patrons. That philosophy runs through everything that we do at Deliverect.
Deliverect has processed over 600 million orders globally. How has the company’s technology impacted the restaurant industry, and what are some of the key benefits you’ve seen for your clients?
Adapting to the growing trend of online food delivery is a challenge many restaurants face. The ability to manage multiple platforms while maintaining daily operations is a recurring problem we’re hearing from our customers. The average result of automating the order flow process with Deliverect is a 40% improvement in delivery time, which ultimately translates to customer loyalty and increased sales.
The online food delivery market is booming, but restaurants often struggle to manage multiple delivery platforms effectively. What are the biggest pain points for restaurants in this area?
Restaurants understand that without a presence on delivery apps like UberEats or DoorDash, they risk becoming obsolete and losing out to competitors. That said, while operating across multiple third party delivery apps certainly increases visibility, it also increases the amount of challenges that restaurant owners and operators must contend with.
In order to properly manage multiple delivery platforms, restaurants must consolidate all channels into one easy-to-use system – this is where Deliverect steps in. By eliminating the need for staff to toggle between apps––to handle tasks like disabling unavailable items or manually updating orders––restaurants can save time while significantly reducing the headaches that come with app management. With Deliverect, they no longer have to worry about hangry customers; all orders are efficiently managed under one streamlined system and all that’s left to do is get food into the mouths of your patrons.
How does Deliverect’s platform simplify and streamline the integration of third-party delivery services with restaurant POS systems?
Deliverect’s POS system integrates with third-party delivery services, allowing restaurants to effortlessly manage both online and in-store orders from a single platform. This centralization streamlines order handling across multiple delivery services, reducing errors and enhancing the customer experience. Deliverect also helps maintain inventory with real-time updates by integrating POS systems with inventory management tools, effectively reducing waste, preventing stockouts, and saving money. This ensures that best-selling items are always available while supporting informed purchasing decisions.
Whether customers order ahead online or walk in to pick up an order, restaurants can operate more efficiently. By integrating third-party delivery apps with their preferred POS system, restaurants can also generate detailed financial reports and analytics. These insights into sales trends, peak hours, and menu item profitability further empower restaurants to make informed, data-driven decisions.
Can you share any success stories or case studies that demonstrate the tangible benefits restaurants have achieved by implementing Deliverect?
From humble beginnings in Detroit, to becoming the world’s third-largest pizza chain, Little Caesars has navigated challenges in managing global deliveries. The company partnered with Deliverect for its robust and secure APIs, which enable seamless integration of orders from multiple delivery platforms directly into the POS system. Deliverect implemented these integrations without tapping into Little Caesars’ in-house resources, resulting in hassle-free operations that allow stores and franchises to work with various delivery partners without added complexity.
For loyal customers familiar with Little Caesars, the Pizza Portal is a locked, heated locker system that enables order pickup without waiting for a cashier. This innovative solution saves time for staff and enhances convenience for customers. A key challenge with the development of this pick-up system was ensuring delivery drivers could quickly and accurately access the Pizza Portal to retrieve orders. Deliverect developed a custom solution that sends secure locker codes to third-party delivery drivers, allowing for faster access to orders. As the first system of its kind, the Pizza Portal solidifies Little Caesars’ position as a global leader in pizza delivery operations –– and Deliverect was pleased to be a helpful piece of the pie (pun intended).
Deliverect recently launched Pulse, a marketing intelligence platform. What was the motivation behind developing this new product? What are the key features of Pulse and how they empower restaurants to improve their visibility, ROI, and overall marketing effectiveness?
Controlling the entire digital ordering experience is one of the biggest challenges Deliverect helps our customers overcome. A significant lack of clear insights into store performance, competitive benchmarks, market dynamics, and genuine ROI results in ineffective marketing and wasted resources. With the launch of Pulse, a marketing intelligence platform, restaurants gain valuable insights and tools to improve visibility and boost order volume and ROI. Pulse empowers restaurants to navigate the crowded delivery landscape more effectively, enabling targeted and successful campaigns.
With Pulse, restaurants can outsmart the competition and grow organically within delivery app marketplaces without overspending by tracking competitor ads and receiving real-time alerts when competitors launch new offers, providing a strategic edge.
Deliverect has a vast network of partners, including Uber Eats and DoorDash. How do these partnerships contribute to the company’s success and enhance the value proposition for your clients?
The restaurant industry has undergone remarkable changes in recent years, largely driven by the rising demand for delivery services. As more consumers opt for the convenience of meals delivered to their doorsteps, restaurants worldwide are adapting their service models to meet this growing demand. The restaurants that work with Deliverect understand that partnerships with third-party delivery platforms lead to positive outcomes for both customers and businesses. With the launch of Pulse, Deliverect is putting the power back into the hands of restaurants for more strategic and successful campaigns when using third party apps.
However, many restaurants struggle to enhance their visibility and monitor performance within the crowded landscape of delivery apps. The importance of a streamlined delivery operation cannot be overstated. To remain competitive in today’s delivery-focused food service environment, restaurants must ensure their delivery operations are efficient, reliable, and customer-centric. With Deliverect’s integrations with third-party delivery apps, they can achieve this goal and thrive in the evolving market.
Deliverect has experienced rapid growth in recent years. What are the key factors that have contributed to this success? What are Deliverect’s plans for future growth and expansion, both geographically and in terms of product offerings?
Deliverect has processed over 600 million orders to date, including more than 4.3 million orders per week in 2023 alone—a remarkable 53% increase in less than a year. With over 50,000 locations in 52 countries, thousands of restaurants and grocery stores worldwide trust our suite of solutions to enhance their digital sales and streamline operations. Our success stems from our ability to cater to businesses of all sizes, from small mom-and-pop shops to large franchises. This flexibility sets us apart from other services in the market.
Earlier this year, Deliverect expanded into the c-store and grocery market by partnering with Hy-Vee––a Midwestern supermarket chain––to enhance digital food ordering capabilities. By integrating Deliverect into each of Hy-Vee’s Fast & Fresh Market Grille Express stations, the retailer is streamlining the ordering process, ensuring a quick and efficient shopping experience for customers. Shoppers know immediately if the dinner they want to purchase is available for pick up or delivery without having to step foot inside the store. Additionally, Hy-Vee is automating the order creation process by eliminating the need for staff to manually enter meal and snack orders. As a result, staff can concentrate on preparing high-quality meals, which not only helps customers receive their food faster and results in happier shoppers.
In addition, Deliverect launched Deliverect Retail in the UK to digitize the entire grocery ordering process. Retail helps store owners and staff manage all orders and catalogs in one central location, track real-time sales and performance, and access data from third-party delivery platforms. As more grocers and retailers embrace online ordering and delivery options, Deliverect remains committed to streamlining the entire process.