Zipments has gone mobile!

Alright everyone, it is finally here.

(Drum roll)

The Zipments App for your iPhone is now available for FREE in the iTunes Store!

The app is packed with tools and features to make finding and bidding on delivery jobs easier than ever! For example, now couriers can use their iPhone to bid on jobs, track existing jobs, receive routing information, and post questions directly to customers!

Also, stay on your toes because the following items are coming soon:
- Push notifications
- Job postings
- And of course…an Android version

Pretty exciting right?

One more thing…

Don’t forget to follow the Zipments Twitter feed from your text enabled phone for instant notifications when jobs post in your area.

Follow the directions below that correlate with your city of residence:

Chicago, IL - Text ‘follow ZipJobsCHI’ to 40404
Grand Rapids, MI - Text ‘follow ZipJobsGR’ to 40404
New York City, NY - Text ‘follow ZipJobsNYC’ to 40404

Do you want Zipments to help promote couriers and jobs in your city? We want to hear from you on the ways your city would benefit from Zipments. Send your ideas and feedback to zipmycity@zipments.com and include ways you think your city would use Zipments to send things around town. 

My Zipments Food Delivery

So, as the Sales & Marketing Director for Zipments - I use it a lot. In fact, in almost every situation I think to myself, “how can Zipments help me right now.” As a result, I have a lot of cool stories about things I’ve had zipped to me or to someone else.

Last night, I was at Momentum event until about 8pm and was hungry. Specifically, I wanted a salad and some french fries from HopCat, one of my favorite Grand Rapids eateries. HopCat doesn’t deliver all the way to my house - so I zipped it!

I ordered a salad for $9.95 and their famous ‘Crack Fries’ for $4.95 (pictured here). So - about a $15 meal.

I posted the delivery on Zipments, calling it ‘HopCat Run’. Here are the notes I wrote:

At HopCat - Order me one order of crack fries & the chop salad with ranch. Cost of the food is included in the job price.

I set my price at $25 - and here’s my rationale:

If I went into the restaurant, let’s face it, I probably would have ordered a beer, raising my bill another $5 or $6. Then, I am paying another $4-5 in tips. I also would have driven there which costs a little in gas money.

I gladly spent that $10 to pay the courier to order me the food and bring it to my front door. And….it was amazing.

Zipments for the business traveler

Here’s a scenario for you:

You’re heading to Grand Rapids, Michigan for an industry conference at the Devos Place.

After a long day of traveling, you make it to your hotel at the JW Marriot where you realize your blackberry is starting to die. Just then you realize….you left your charger on your kitchen counter at home.

You didn’t rent a car so running out to get one isn’t an option. Meijer is close by but not close enough to walk. What do you do?

Post it on zipments.com!

Posting a job will take you about one minute and you should start to receive bids shortly after. We’ve seen bids come in just minutes after posting. Once you’ve found the right price and courier, accept that bid.

The courier you selected will show up with your zipped charger and you are ready to be connected to the world again via smart phone!

Just another great way Zipments can be used to save the day.

Zipments helps drive people to restaurants.

Here’s a scenario:

You own a local deli that makes awesome food. You’ve explored delivery options in the past and between the cost of gas and hiring extra employees, you can’t afford to do it. So, while you’d like to offer your customers food to their office or home, you can’t right now. 

Solution 1: Post the job on Zipments. Using your computer, go to zipments.com, enter your address and your customers address and set your price (I would try $10-15 for across town). Within minutes, you will receive bids from local couriers. Accept the bid you want and you’re done! This method would work best for corporate catering or larger orders. 

Solution 2: Offer Zipments to your customers. When customers call and say “Do you offer delivery?” - you can now answer yes! Tell them to go to zipments.com and post their delivery job at the time their food will be ready.

So, what does using Zipments do for your restaurant?

Well, the obvious benefit is that you can now offer delivery to your customers. 

Awesome Food + Customer Experience + Convenience = Happy Customers
Happy Customers = Increase in Sales 

You can’t argue with math.

However, the less obvious advantage to using Zipments is getting other people (couriers) to have a reason to go inide of your restaurant and experience what it’s like. They may not be ordering anything at the time but getting people to come into your business is a great way to have more people know about it than they did before. 

Use your deliveries to draw awareness to your restaurant. Because let’s face it, after they see how awesome your food is, they’ll definitely come back. 

Help businesses discover Zipments and win an iPad2

How to win:

• As a Zipments courier, you will receive a point for each customer that redeems one of your personal promotion codes.  However, points will not be given for jobs in which you are the courier on the specific job where your personal promotion code is being redeemed.  Remember, with your code, customers receive $15.00 off on their first “zipment!”
•   Once a customer redeems your personal promotional code, you will receive an additional point for each zipment the customer purchases thereafter, regardless of whether or not you are the Zipments courier on that job.  In addition to earning points towards an iPad2, you also receive a $10.00 commission when a customer who redeemed your personal promotion code purchases a second zipment!  (Note: The best way to earn lots of commissions and earn points towards an iPad is to find customers who will use Zipments often during the contest period!)
• iPads will be awarded to the TOP 3 Zipments couriers with the most points at the end of the contest period.
• This contest is open to all registered Zipments couriers with a Verified Business or Premium Paypal account. 
• This contest begins May 21, 2011 and ends July 31, 2011. 
• Winners will be announced on August 5, 2011.
• Each customer is eligible for only one promotion code for this contest.
• Couriers will be able to view their total points earned per customer within their personal “Promotions” page.
• Zipments reserves the right to evaluate the validity of any job assigned to a participating courier.