In the digital age, so much of what we once considered commonplace is becoming outmoded and obsolete – house phones, paper mail, CDs. But one thing we can count on never going out of style is delicious food, and luckily, some of the newest technology is focused exclusively on improving the mealtime experience. Through the magic of app-based delivery services, for example, we can now get our favorite products and meals at the tap of a button within minutes.
Because it provides the relief of convenience to a market constantly trying to squeeze more time out of each day, online food delivery has rapidly grown into a $20 billion-dollar industry. HoneyBaked Ham has recently taken a bold step toward embracing this convenient technology by piloting a delivery program with Uber Eats in a few American cities.
The Wait is Over
No question about it – the holidays are a favorite time for a spiral-sliced Honey Baked Ham®. In anticipation of this past holiday season, we partnered with Uber Eats in a limited store test to offer delivery with a special Holiday menu featuring Honey Baked Ham®, Turkey, Side Dishes, Sauces and Desserts for customers in the Atlanta area. This pilot offered customers an easy convenient way to get their HoneyBaked Ham favorites delivered, giving them time back to spend with Family & Friends. Another version of the program, streamlined to include only our lunch menu, was also launched in Charlotte, Denver and Chicago.
Door-to-Door Service
Uber Eats, a meal ordering and delivery service platform, is a subsidiary of Uber, the popular ride service company. Like many foodservice delivery apps, Uber Eats users can discover new restaurants, order delivery with the tap of a button, and track their order while it’s en route. During the pilot program, Atlantans could use the app to choose from our menu of holiday favorites and have it delivered straight to their door from select HoneyBaked Ham stores.
The ease of the app on both the consumer and the business side made for minimal additions or alterations to standard store operations, and overall, the new service was well-received by both customers and the HoneyBaked Ham teams that helped prep the orders for delivery.
The Future
A recent study projected the online food delivery market will see as much as 12% growth annually over the next five years due to the attractive convenience of online ordering. As app-based delivery services gain traction among consumers and see more ubiquitous use across the country, we hope to take advantage of the potential for relationships with more delivery partners like Uber Eats to offer customers another, more convenient way to enjoy the World’s Best Ham. Providing our customers with the best service available is part of the HoneyBaked Ham experience, and with on-demand delivery, we are poised to bring that experience to even more customers.
This delivery program is the most recent in a long line of innovations aimed at improving our customers’ experience of our brand and meaningfully supporting our franchisees’ efforts to grow their businesses and reach more customers. Having our fully-cooked and ready-to-serve hams, turkey, lunch options, sides and desserts delivered gives our customers more time to spend with their loved ones and less time thinking about meal preparation, opens us up to new audiences, and provides our franchisees access to a powerful new stream of revenue and a welcome relationship with widespread, consumer-focused technology.
