The Voice of the Couriers

Author: Peter Nagy, Partnerships Specialist

In order to have a thorough vision and understanding of the food delivery industry and the work circumstances of the couriers, Wear Your Brand regularly conducts market research and surveys.

To gain a market advantage it is not sufficient to only know the needs and demands of the customers but it is also crucial to understand the workforce and main face of the company: the couriers. 

To understand their needs and demands we conducted market research among them in September 2022 to map and understand the circumstances of their day-to-day work. 

Being part of a community

The community of couriers is huge and they have their forums where they discuss everything from new bike models and bag types, the best locations to work and earn more to the comparison of the delivery companies. 

There are also YouTubers who record their deliveries and provide advice and tips to the courier audience and are very popular and are already counted as influencers.

In our questionnaire we focused on the two poles of their needs; “hardware” support and information support.

When it comes to desired information, answers showed that couriers often feel underserved in communication. 

The most common topics couriers would like to know more about are: Delivery vehicle trends, Courier gear updates, and Helping with taxation.

As they feel “alone”, the couriers started to build forums and groups on social media platforms, where they exchange information and seek help. 

How could these problems be solved? 

From industry best practices, we see that educational videos and regular events are the most favourable forms of serving the couriers with information and most importantly, building a healthy community.  

The other pillar of their work circumstances is the “hardware” support or equipment that helps couriers in their everyday work to perform better.

The courier’s safety is crucial, among other reasons just consider, that they often work in harsh weather conditions.

Providing basic tools and equipment that are really handy for daily business can dramatically improve working conditions.

Safety equipment, like rain jackets, helmets and garments with reflective elements and useful tools like power banks, bicycle repair kits and phone holders can make an impact and turn the work into a well-oiled machine. 

Some answers highlighted that there are companies that hold events for their couriers where they can get different equipment, change their delivery bags and receive tips and information regarding numerous topics related to being a courier.

To summarise, providing a platform for communication and support for the couriers could not only keep the churn rate low but also helps keep a healthy community and relationship between the couriers and the company.

This can be communicating all the tips gathered on the website and the Rider app regularly, even summarised. On the other hand, organising courier events with workshops and promotions can also increase employee satisfaction.

On Wear Your Brand’s side we set ourselves the project for 2023 to extend all eshop product scales with such items that are really desired by the couriers for their daily work.

Author: Peter Nagy, Partnerships Specialist