Dispatch timing is the whole operation
Perishable goods dispatched on a Thursday for a two-day service arrive over the weekend or not at all. Getting the dispatch calendar right is more operationally important than anything on the website.
Publish which days you dispatch and which you do not, prominently, and enforce it in the checkout. Customers accept a wait; they do not accept spoiled food.
Compliance is not optional
- Allergen information, complete, accurate and prominent
- Ingredient lists in the required format
- Nutritional information where required for your products
- Storage instructions and use-by handling
- Country of origin where applicable
These are legal requirements rather than good practice, and the rules differ by product type and destination.
Packaging is part of the product
- Insulation and coolants matched to the transit time, not the ideal transit time
- Tested in warm weather, not just when you set it up in March
- Leak protection for anything liquid
- Clear instructions on unpacking and storage
- Recyclable where possible, because customers notice
Shelf life shapes everything
Stock holding, batch tracking, dispatch order and what you can safely offer as a subscription all follow from shelf life. It needs to be tracked properly rather than approximately.
Selling something with three days remaining on a two-day service is a complaint you have arranged in advance.
Gifting is a large opportunity
Food and drink is heavily gifted, which means gift messages, delivery date selection and presentation matter more than in most categories.
Letting the buyer choose a delivery date is frequently the difference between winning a gift order and losing it.