As more and more companies jump into the online grocery delivery business, I’ve been curious to see if any of them deliver to my area. So I’ve gone through the following scenario several times lately:

– Read story or press release about new online grocery option

– Visit their website to see where they deliver

– Fail to find a list of their delivery areas

– Type my zipcode into the form

– Get a generic response along the lines of “Sorry, we’re not serving your area yet”

Obviously, this isn’t a good way to start the relationship with a prospective customer. For companies who serve a limited area, it means that a very high percentage of prospects are going to be disappointed by the very first interaction, and will be less likely to check back later.

What’s the solution? Just be upfront about where you deliver. Put a big link on your website for “Delivery areas” or “Where we deliver”. When people click on it, take them to a list of all the areas that you serve, or a map of those areas. Then, provide an address lookup form so that people who live in the general service area can verify that their address is supported.

Looking at this another way, most businesses are quite upfront about disclosing their hours of operation, payment methods, and other basic things that customers want to know. You don’t have to fill out a form or send them an email or call them on the phone to get access to this information, since that would be a waste of time and resources for everyone involved. Providing a list or a map of your delivery areas shouldn’t be any different.