Chase Hot Spots or Stick to the Plan
Every courier enjoys days that are full of good deliveries. Especially when those deliveries happen non-stop. The miles add up quick and so do the earnings.
In the archives of this site there are several articles that touch on the various apps, and some of their features. Some of these features are useful for couriers, and can help a courier develop a good plan for maximizing earnings.
One of the more useful features of most delivery apps, is the map of the delivery area. The Doordash app breaks this into zones for my particular city. The Ubereats app has the whole delivery area marked, but not in zones.
the hot spot
Each app has a hot spot feature that overlays the map, or zones. It allows the courier to see where the largest volume of deliveries is taking place. In real time.
One great temptation with this hot spot knowledge, is to chase the hot spot. It’s especially strong when things are slow. On the map, just across town, things are really hopping. It’s a natural thing to want to run to where the work is happening.
Chasing the hot spot is more often than not, a gamble. Two out three times, by the time the courier arrives in the new location, the hot spot has either ended, or moved across town. Many times, the hot spot moves to where the courier just came from.
It is a common happening because the hot spot map is a real time indicator. The deliveries that are in demand in that area, are being filled as the map is being viewed.
This is the reason that chasing the hot spot seldom benefits the courier. An entire shift can be lost chasing a high demand area, with very little, or no offers along the way.
Stick to the Plan
Having a predetermined zone is a benefit to the courier. Maintaining proximity to the selected zone, is a plan that yields results.
While the hot spot map might indicate that the other side of town is the place to be, a good plan ensures the courier will be in the right place, at the right time.
Having a plan that includes a circuit around a densely populated area, is a good start. Maintaining that zone and patience, typically pay off, as the surge of business makes its way across the given area.
Sticking to the plan, allows the courier to be there when the hot spot blooms. No need for mad dashes across town, or games of hot spot hide and seek.
Many times, with experience and intuition, the courier can predict a hot spot event. Without the use of a hot spot map. Trusting instincts and experience, is a smart alternative to chasing hot spots.
Creating and sticking to a plan, gives the courier every advantage, to take advantage, of hot spots and rushes, with maximum opportunities for earnings.
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