inDrive, the urban mobility platform, has unveiled a list of essential delivery tips to help customers ensure the safe delivery of their items.
The list of essential delivery tips includes making a wise choice of courier, labelling of the item with the recipient’s name and address, indicating the fragility and weight of the item to a courier, choosing the right vehicle to transport the item(s), documentation of the item or package’s condition by taking a photo, wrapping the package with recycled materials, checking the courier’s rating and comments, camouflaging the contents of the package, delivering in person expensive items like high-end electronics, cash or jewellery.
The list of essential tips was released against the backdrop of recent findings by the company, which analysed 5,000 comments left by Nigerians about their experiences with deliveries in 2024 and their appreciation of the most unusual deliveries and comments.
According to the study, the top five delivery categories include
- Food (17%),
- Clothes (15%),
- Electronics (10%),
- Documents (4%), and
- Medicine (2%).
Other notable categories are textiles and cosmetics, which show the broad spectrum of everyday needs for which Nigerians rely on delivery services.
Speaking on the findings, Timothy Oladimeji, spokesperson for inDrive and senior business development, stressed that the platform has introduced many innovations to give users a memorable and safe delivery experience.
“At inDrive, people trust us to deliver everything from daily essentials to meaningful gifts and special purchases. That’s why we are committed to making our service as reliable and secure as possible. Over the past year, we’ve seen incredible growth in new clients in Nigeria, with person-to-person (P2P) deliveries – such as parcels sent between friends, family, or individuals – tripling and B2B deliveries growing sixfold.
In 2024, we introduced improvements to geo-tracking, enhanced courier selection based on ratings and feedback, and made ordering even more seamless. We always encourage users to choose couriers carefully, using our convenient rating system to ensure the best experience. While we strive to provide a safe and efficient service, we also recommend that users take extra care when sending high-value items, just as they would with any delivery service.”, Timothy said.
According to him, it is better always to select a courier with good ratings and positive feedback to ensure a safe and reliable delivery experience.
Food deliveries took the lead, with items ranging from simple everyday meals to elaborate and carefully curated delicacies.
While the most common food package is simply labelled “Food” (64%), some senders specify unique dishes, reflecting Nigeria’s rich culinary traditions.
Among the most exotic and rare deliveries are 42 tubers of yams, 5 litres of soup, a bag filled with small chops, a box of pizza, a bowl of goat meat (asun), shawarma and ice cream.
Clothes are also major items that dominate as many fashion-conscious Nigerians frequently send clothes through delivery services.
Some of the unique fashion items spotted among deliveries include autogele i.e elaborate headgear used in traditional Nigerian fashion, aso-oke and asoebi i.e fabrics worn at special occasions and weddings, vintage shirts, waist trainers, wedding dresses, veils, and petticoats.
Other unique items that have been delivered include esoteric crafts, a fragile bonsai tree, air fryer, bass guitar, PlayStation 5 game disc and excavator keys.
Another significant trend is the delivery of gifts, with flowers, surprise presents, and hampers being among the most commonly sent.
The Nigerian love for celebration and appreciation is evident in these thoughtful deliveries.
It noted that the safe delivery tips are also available on the inDrive app.
