My idea

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Hi people, I purchased the domain DoMyShopping(.com) a while ago, I also own the .co my idea is to turn this into a website like just-eat but mainly for same day delivery gifts and groceries, a bit like instacart.com. Have looked at a couple of scripts I could maybe use (comeneat & orderingonlinesystem) but not to keen on them. Will need to get a custom design done I think, but don't currently have the budget at moment, i'm working on it. Anyway just looking to see what people think of this idea.

Thanks

 

[accelerator]

Well, since you asked, I hope you will appreciate my honest opinion. I don't have time to go into detail and explanation, so you will just have to take my quick opinion. There is very little opportunity or money in this idea, unless you are at the scale of Amazon UK. Therefore, it's a non-starter for me.

There are already people that will do your shopping for you, as part of high end concierge services. The reason it's expensive is because only the rich will be prepared to pay for it, and it has to be expensive in order to make the business worthwhile. Attempting to do if for the mass market is no-profit, non-viable.

All of this is in my humble opinion. I hope it is taken with the spirit of helpful advice it is meant. Feel free to prove me wrong and good luck.

If you want to come up with any other ideas I'm happy to give an opinion.

Rgds

 

[xblink]

Well, since you asked, I hope you will appreciate my honest opinion. I don't have time to go into detail and explanation, so you will just have to take my quick opinion. There is very little opportunity or money in this idea, unless you are at the scale of Amazon UK. Therefore, it's a non-starter for me.

There are already people that will do your shopping for you, as part of high end concierge services. The reason it's expensive is because only the rich will be prepared to pay for it, and it has to be expensive in order to make the business worthwhile. Attempting to do if for the mass market is no-profit, non-viable.

All of this is in my humble opinion. I hope it is taken with the spirit of helpful advice it is meant. Feel free to prove me wrong and good luck.

If you want to come up with any other ideas I'm happy to give an opinion.

Rgds

Thanks for your reply, I don't think it has to be to expensive to make it worth while. My idea is to charge around £9.99 for same day delivery & also earn a commission from each order form each retailer. Just looking to start it small in my own area, I have a van for delivers and a couple of mates to. Then hopefully branch out. Its all just an idea at moment tho.

 

[accelerator]

When I left University, I needed a job. I went down to the job centre and there was an advert for a cycle courier job. This was in a hilly UK city. As I liked mountain biking, I took the job. The pay was 10p per letter delivered. The boss who had just set up the company decided to go on holiday. I was left for two days to deliver his mail, which I completed around said hilly city. I can't remember if I got paid, but I just completed it not to let the customers down, then resigned. It was fairly exhausting and it was a totally unviable business model. He shut down when he got back from holiday.

Things I learnt are delivery businesses are really hard work, and that you have to make sure the market will support your business model.

If you are good at internet development, why not do something that requires less physical effort but you can charge more for. E.g. come up with a digital service that you can charge for.

Rgds

 

[accelerator]

Also, same day delivery services are being trialled from shops in the US. Without looking it up I think it might be Google and Amazon, but that's the kind of budget you need in my opinion.

 

[Retired_Member38]

Thanks for your reply, I don't think it has to be to expensive to make it worth while. My idea is to charge around £9.99 for same day delivery & also earn a commission from each order form each retailer. Just looking to start it small in my own area, I have a van for delivers and a couple of mates to. Then hopefully branch out. Its all just an idea at moment tho.

Who is your target customer?

Elderly people may need help to have things delivered but supermarkets will deliver for free. Obviously you need to order in advance, you can't do that same day. But presumably for most old folk they don't want/need to pay a tenner for same day anyway.

I'm just struggling a bit to see who would want to use this service. I decided today to make a bunch of greek kebabs tonight but I had no ingredients. But I'm healthy and have a car so it was no hassle for me to just go and grab want I wanted. If I couldn't have done that then it wouldn't have made too much sense for me to pay £10 extra... I'd just order kebabs from just eat or pick them up later. Stuff like furniture delivery, a washing machine etc I would need delivered but its back to me not really needing it same day and/or the place its coming from being able to sort the delivery.

 

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Who is your target customer?

Elderly people may need help to have things delivered but supermarkets will deliver for free. Obviously you need to order in advance, you can't do that same day. But presumably for most old folk they don't want/need to pay a tenner for same day anyway.

I'm just struggling a bit to see who would want to use this service. I decided today to make a bunch of greek kebabs tonight but I had no ingredients. But I'm healthy and have a car so it was no hassle for me to just go and grab want I wanted. If I couldn't have done that then it wouldn't have made too much sense for me to pay £10 extra... I'd just order kebabs from just eat or pick them up later. Stuff like furniture delivery, a washing machine etc I would need delivered but its back to me not really needing it same day and/or the place its coming from being able to sort the delivery.

Thinking of the 18 to 30 market mainly. instacart is now a billion pound company but no one is doing anything similar in the uk to what i can see.

 

[Skinner]

There is company near me, who have yellow Ford Ka's and Yellow Bedford Rascal size vans which pick things up for you.

You phone them, tell them you want something picking up from say Argos, B&Q, or forgot your work keys, left something behind, want food picking up from a take away which doesn't delivery, whatever.

Never used them, but if I was on a job and I'd forgotten a part or needed some extra parts, my costs to travel (time+expenses) would be more than sending for the part. In the past, we've used Taxi's for similar tasks, as in phoned up the shop, had the part kept at the counter, had the taxi driver collect it, etc.

There has to be a use for this kinda thing, next time I see the cars/vans if I remember I'll get the website address.

 

[ChrisMM]

What about a niche service?

Something like a budget thirstie.com targetting Universities with cheap as shit booze and asap deliveries.

Arrange through Whatsapp instant messaging etc.

 

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Yea thanks skinner would be interesting to see

 

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What about a niche service?

Something like a budget thirstie.com targetting Universities with cheap as shit booze and asap deliveries.

Arrange through Whatsapp instant messaging etc.

Don't think i want to target the cheap booze market lol

 

[BeachLife]

I'm just struggling a bit to see who would want to use this service.

Thinking of the 18 to 30 market mainly. instacart is now a billion pound company but no one is doing anything similar in the uk to what i can see.

There is Jinn. They raised $200K last July, and Acorn's own Doug Scott is one of the investors. I can't find the reference right now, but I sure I read recently him describing it as "one of the fastest growing services he had even seen."

 

[AssetDomains]

Don't think i want to target the cheap booze market lol

There were a couple of companies around Liverpool doing it a while back wasn't exactly cheap though they were selling at a fairly high mark-up to house parties after hours.

I think with more and more supermarkets going 24 hour though and some of them selling booze all night the market dried up a bit people just do a taxi run to the local asda or tesco

 

[Retired_Member38]

There is Jinn. They raised $200K last July, and Acorn's own Doug Scott is one of the investors. I can't find the reference right now, but I sure I read recently him describing it as "one of the fastest growing services he had even seen."

I wouldn't use them as a consumer. I don't think I should pay more for delivery on an £80 indian takeaway compared to a £30 Italian. Jinn don't have the hassle or expense of preparing it and so on... so why do they think its worth more to be delivered?

 

[accelerator]

Population density and local market will probably be key as to whether it can work. I think that's what Amazon has found.

All I am saying is that delivery services are hard and low margin, so why not do something else?

Also, I wonder if someone could do an Uber on deliveries, or whether Uber itself might do it.

Rgds

 

[accelerator]

OK, so looking at Jinn, yes this is going to happen. It's the "Uberfication" of delivery services. So, it can be a viable business model. However, I'm sure other ideas would be easier and more profitable.

 

[diablo]

Hi people, I purchased the domain DoMyShopping(.com) a while ago, I also own the .co my idea is to turn this into a website like just-eat but mainly for same day delivery gifts and groceries, a bit like instacart.com. Have looked at a couple of scripts I could maybe use (comeneat & orderingonlinesystem) but not to keen on them. Will need to get a custom design done I think, but don't currently have the budget at moment, i'm working on it. Anyway just looking to see what people think of this idea.

Thanks

Superb domain name and always opportunities for niche players in booming home / office delivery.

In New York for example you can have condoms delivered within an hour:

https://thisisl.com/1h-shop/

And have you looked at what the likes of Fancy are now offering?

http://fancy.com/same-day-delivery#

 

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Thanks for all the input people, an good to see that someone also thinks its a good name - Diablo.