How an empire was built on delivering your groceries in record timing.
When Uber Eats first made themselves accessible to consumers we loved more than anything the convenience. How good is waking up on a Sunday morning and getting fresh poached eggs and sourdough from your favourite local cafe without stepping foot outside?
Now imagine that same convenience with groceries. That’s right, groceries to your door, in not 40, 30 or even 20 minutes but averaging 10 minutes. You literally couldn’t go to and from the shops in that time - pure customer satisfaction.n
Serial entrepreneur Dany Milhan founded Milkrun during hard times in September 2021, and the Australian Financial Review has dubbed it one of the country’s fastest growing start-ups. MilkRun has a collection of ‘dark stores’ or warehouses that stock between 1,500-2,000 items. They employ their own staff and do not use a contractor model like Uber Eats and other ‘Gig Economy’ brands.
Dany Milham has grown the grocery delivery business to 500 people in eight months, he is no stranger to the hustle and knows what it takes to build a customer driven business. The Young Rich Lister and former Koala Co-CEO has closed one of the largest early stage venture capital raises in the country’s history, banking $75 million for his grocery delivery start-up Milkrun. Dany is hungry for a share of the $122 Billion grocery market and is taking on giants like Coles and Woolworths to offer the market the convenience of speedy home delivery. MilkRun has a strong focus on vertical integration, Dany reports attacking the McDonald's model, as MilkRun acquires land for their dark stores and employs their own staff and riders (delivery drivers).
Now to the authentic part of the brand, because you know how much we love brands that see the customer at the core of the service. According to Milkrun, “We want our riders to be like the local milk men and be part of our brand.”
MilkRun deliver handwritten cards thanking you for your first order and repeat purchases, it really is a noticeable and warming difference when you receive a cute note in your delivery bag. All part of the marketing plan Dany Milham has to create a dedicated social media community for the brand.
They’re opening new hub locations in areas in already serves to “elevate the customer experience and reduce the delivery time and distance”;
Hiring more riders and hub staff to meet demand;
Working with suppliers to have the “freshest produce available”; and
Ensuring it keeps its price and impact on the environment “as low as possible”.
Customer service at its finest ladies and gentlemen.
Key take home messages for marketers:
Being responsive to shifting consumer behaviour will keep you ahead of the curve
Building a community through sparking emotion with personalised messaging makes a lasting impact and drives brand warmth.
Delivering on their promise was key, they sold 10 minute delivery times and then communicated when and why they could no longer meet this initiative
Radical transparency with your audience makes them feel included and supports the human need for contribution, they make their users feel seen and heard by publicly addressing their shortcomings when they couldn’t meet delivery time.
Focus on providing value and exceptional customer experience, it will elevate the brand perception of your brand and
Did you love learning about MilkRun and some of their gold nuggets of success that you can apply in your own business? Share this with a friend and let us know what inspires you most about this story @big.uppetite
