Alcohol and Last Mile Deliveries

We live in a day and age where online shopping and fast delivery has become the norm. The impact of COVID-19 lockdowns and movement restrictions resulted in a quasi-agoraphobic state of paralysis amongst consumers that further fuelled the online ordering demand. Grocery and liquor stores that already had established delivery fleets experienced an unprecedented demand of online orders and turned to last-mile delivery platforms such as Drive Yello to support their fleets. While online grocery orders may have eased post lockdowns, alcohol deliveries remain high and are expected to accelerate by up to 60% during the silly season. 

Alcohol deliveries, however, are considered ‘security items’ that have additional compliance rules in each state and territory. On December 1st 2021, NSW introduced a law requiring anyone delivering alcohol to complete mandatory Responsible Supply of Alcohol Training (RSAT). This training and accompanying certification requires any individual distributing alcohol to check ID, never serve an intoxicated customer, and return goods to the store if the customer isn’t available. If these criteria are not met, any driver who breaches the RSAT rules can be liable for up to $11k in fines. Similarly, new changes come into effect June 1st 2022, whereby all liquor retailers will need to verify age at the point of purchase for all online orders. It’s likely that the ACT, SA and WA governments will be reviewing their state laws in the new year, similar to NSW. For national alcohol chains, these impending laws and changing regulations threaten to disrupt their supply chain and brand reputation if they use complacent third-party last-mile delivery platforms.

The Endeavour Group (owner of leisure brands such as BWS & Dan Murphys) started partnering with Drive Yello in 2020. Nick Georgiou, the National Delivery Manager for On-Demand, said, “During the COVID lockdowns, Drive Yello has enabled us at BWS to provide our customers with the certainty that their orders are delivered on the same day it was placed regardless of how quickly demand grew, while traditional couriers struggled to deliver our orders at all. As we look forward to Christmas, our strategy to exceed our customers’ expectations includes Drive Yello.”

When selecting a trusted third party delivery provider, there are key platform features to look for to ensure your business complies with alcohol deliveries.

Driver Certification

Ensure your last-mile delivery platform provides drivers with the ability to upload any certifications with a rigorously vetted verification process. This will confirm that the driver has completed the requirements and is aware of the ramifications of non-compliance.

Regional Compliance

The platform helps meet the rules and regulations for each state and territory with the appropriate, localised setup.

Proof of Delivery

With Yello, mandatory verification steps such as proof of delivery, ID checks and signature on delivery are all available to ensure couriers are compliant with the Responsible Supply of Alcohol which streamlines your delivery process and ensures compliance.

In-App Reminders

After a dozen deliveries, it can be easy for busy drivers to forget the rules. Look for a platform that reminds drivers that their next delivery contains alcohol as a prompt to follow compliance rules.

Platform Flexibility

You also want to look out for a platform that provides the flexibility to suit your business needs while also ensuring full compliance. If you're a national chain, you'll want to have one platform that services each state and territory alcohol delivery rules—likewise, a platform with an open API to configure your existing tech stack. You are removing the need for multiple systems and confusing processes.

An extension of your fleet

Drive Yello ticks all the boxes when it comes to alcohol deliveries, offering complete flexibility of services to suit your needs. Yello’s last-mile delivery platform operates across all major metropolitan cities; Yello’s last-mile delivery platform connects retailers to an extensive network of independent contractors for ASAP jobs, scheduled future jobs, or ad-hoc shifts. Drive Yello also offers a SaaS product, allowing businesses with their fleet to use Australia’s most sophisticated last-mile delivery platform. Whatever is needed. There are no lock-in contracts, making Drive Yello an attractive partner to suit your needs. For further information on Drive Yello’s product, compliance with alcohol delivery legislation, or product feature questions please send our sales team an email at sales@driveyello.com.

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