15 profitable delivery business ideas (2025)

September 20, 2024

Delivery business ideas with strong income potential.

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery services are more popular than ever. The market worldwide is projected to grow by 10.06%resulting in a whopping market volume of US$1.79tn in 2028.

So if you are looking to have a piece of the delivery pie – these numbers suggest that this is the perfect time to consider starting a delivery service business or adding a delivery service to your existing business.

Top 15 delivery business ideas

Here are some creative and profitable delivery business ideas that you can start right away:

Pharmacy delivery

Pharmacy delivery is a prescription pickup and delivery service that transports medications conveniently between neighborhood pharmacies and patient homes. With many lacking reliable transportation, deliveries bridge critical medication access gaps for homebound elderly and disabled patients especially. Even mobile customers strained for time benefit. Pharmacies maximize outreach in existing regions without added brick-and-mortar outposts. Once pharmacy verification steps are complete for safety, courteous drivers rapidly fulfill same-day or scheduled repeat prescription requests. Both returning and new patients of registered pharmacies appreciate the flexibility when retail visits pose challenges.

For operators, the relatively low overhead sharable transport model scales well across multiple pharmacies contracted per territory. While federal regulations continue appropriately governing medicine distribution chains for accountability, compliant delivery agents help sustain care continuity through improved nurturing patient connections to existing pharmacy allies already trusted locally. 

How much you can make: $50,000 – $500,000 annually
How much does it cost to start: $10,000 – $100,000
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months

Pizza delivery

Operating a pizza delivery service allows you to work with popular chains or homemade pizzerias. Homemade pizza made with care and quality ingredients is always in demand. Beginning a homemade pizza company allows creative entrepreneurs to turn their cooking passion into a thriving business. Start small by creating a compact menu showcasing your specialties. Enable online ordering and develop a website to promote your offerings. Attracting a loyal customer base with delicious food and timely delivery establishes a foundation for expansion. Stay connected with patrons through social media and keep quality high, even during growth.

How much you can make: $30-60k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $5-10k for car, insurance, equipment
How long does it take to build: 1-3 months to get licensed and equipped

Flower delivery service

Sending flowers is a thoughtful way to brighten someone’s day when you can’t be there in person. A flower delivery service allows you to send a personalized floral gift to friends, family, co-workers, and loved ones for any occasion. An online local flower delivery business can be operated from a small home office with just a few drivers for deliveries. Efficient routing software helps optimize the last-mile flower routes to reduce costs and ensure on-time arrivals. Offering same-day delivery can be a competitive advantage for a floral delivery startup seeking to disrupt the flower industry.

How much you can make: $40-80k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $2-5k for car, supplies
How long does it take to build: 1-3 months to source suppliers

Wedding favors delivery

Sending personalized wedding favors is a thoughtful way to thank guests for celebrating the happy couple. A wedding favor delivery service allows engaged couples to send gifts to wedding party members, out-of-town guests, and attendees for any occasion. Wedding favor business can be operated from a small home office with just a delivery driver or two. Efficient delivery routes help keep costs low and ensure timely arrivals. Offering custom-designed and specially packaged wedding favors can attract couples seeking creative gifts for their big day. year-round.

How much you can make: $50-100k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $1-2k for packaging materials
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months to source and market

Grocery delivery

A grocery delivery service brings convenience to shoppers by saving them time and effort. Turning a small retail or local grocery store into an online delivery business is a promising approach in the modern age. An e-commerce platform and mobile app can be created, allowing customers to easily order essentials and deliver them straight to their door. Just a few drivers are needed to handle last-mile grocery deliveries from the store. Efficient routing software helps optimize delivery routes to keep costs low. Offering same-day delivery and a customized selection of grocery items can attract and retain customers seeking the combination of online convenience and personalized service that only a local market can provide.

How much you can make: $50-100k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $5-10k for vehicle, tools
How long does it take to build: 1-3 months to get setup

Furniture delivery and assembly

A furniture delivery and assembly service would pick up furniture purchases from retail stores or distribution centers and deliver items directly to customers’ homes. After delivery, service technicians would assemble the furniture, whether it’s beds, dressers, entertainment centers, bookshelves, or dining sets. This end-to-end solution eliminates hassles for the customer. They don’t have to arrange their truck rental or try to assemble furniture themselves. As a business, you can provide reliable delivery appointments and skilled technicians to ensure furniture is assembled properly.

How much you can make: $60-120k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $10-20k for truck, tools
How long does it take to build: 1-3 months to get equipped

Bottled water delivery

A bottled water delivery service targets households and small offices that want the convenience of having water bottles delivered on a schedule. With so many people drinking bottled water these days, an efficient delivery system can build a nice customer route. The startup costs for a sole proprietor are reasonable—a van, bottles, branding, and marketing materials are needed. There is profit in buying jugs in bulk and then selling individual bottles to customers. Success comes down to reliability, branding, being cost-competitive, and providing great service.

How much you can make: $60-100k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $5-10k for vehicle
How long does it take to build: 1-3 months to source and market

Plant delivery and care

People like having plants in their homes and offices. As a business, you could deliver potted plants to customers’ doors. The plants could be indoor types like succulents, air plants, and small flowering plants. Care instructions would come with each plant to help it thrive. There could also be an optional monthly service to come care for the plants, like watering, pruning, and repotting. This would make plant ownership easy for busy people or those without gardening knowledge.

How much you can make: $40-80k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $2-5k for car, supplies
How long does it take to build: 1-3 months to source nurseries

Liquor delivery

As the pandemic drove life online, the appeal of convenient home alcohol delivery became widespread. With bars and liquor stores often closed, customers flocked to e-commerce liquor delivery services. This trend remains entrenched today; the ease and selection are hard to beat. Americans now spend billions getting cocktails, wine, beer, and spirits delivered to their doors. The global market continues expanding rapidly as well, especially in places where alcohol delivery was not previously available. Starting a liquor delivery startup allows tapping into these shifting consumer behaviors.

How much you can make: $50-100k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $5-10k for vehicle, license
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months for licensing

Packers and movers

A packers and movers business provides an essential service helping people shift homes or offices. You need some initial investment to buy a truck and equipment but not very high. Hire people with experience of packing, lifting heavy items, and driving trucks for local transportation. Focus on providing quality service, being careful with customer possessions, and charging fair rates to build a reputation. It is a competitive sector so emphasize reliability, safety, and careful handling of items. Expand slowly as you build a satisfied customer base. Technology like apps can improve efficiency and coordination. Good service means customers recommend you to others.

How much you can make: $60-150k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $10-50k for vehicle, equipment
How long does it take to build: 3-6 months to get licensed and equipped

Clothing & accessories delivery

A clothing and accessories delivery service allows customers to shop for fashion items from the comfort of their homes. To start this business, you need a website or app to display your products. Focus on a specific style niche or price range to stand out in this competitive market. Keep up with the latest trends and buy inventory in styles that will sell. Store products in a warehouse to facilitate quick delivery. Offer unique services like custom fittings or style advice to create value. Market through social media and partner with influencers to gain customers. Provide speedy, reliable delivery and great customer support. Success comes from building a convenient, personalized shopping experience.

How much you can make: 50-100k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $1-2k for packaging materials
How long does it take to build: 1-3 months to source suppliers

Wholesale egg delivery

Starting a wholesale egg delivery service allows you to sell eggs in bulk to restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores. As the demand for eggs is constant, focusing on wholesale distribution creates a built-in customer base if you can provide a quality product at a competitive price. An online system and mobile app can organize orders and delivery routes to maximize efficiency. By specializing in a high-demand food staple, maintaining strong business relationships, and leveraging simple technology, a lean wholesale egg delivery operation can quickly become profitable on a modest initial investment.

How much you can make: $40-80k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $5-10k for a refrigerated vehicle
How long does it take to build: 1-3 months to source farms

Coffee delivery business

A coffee delivery service can be a great small business idea. Coffee is a popular drink that many people enjoy, especially in the mornings. By delivering fresh coffee around the local area, you can provide a convenient service to customers. Your business could take orders online or by phone and then deliver them to homes or offices. Focus on providing high-quality coffee beans and drinks. You may want to offer additions like milk, sugar, muffins or bagels. Promote your business through social media, flyers, and partnerships with local companies. Emphasize speedy delivery and reliable customer service.

How much you can make: $40-80k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $2-5k for supplies
How long does it take to build: 1-3 months to source roasters

Bread and milk delivery business

A bread and milk delivery service brings essential grocery items right to customers’ doors. There is steady demand for fresh bread and dairy products. This type of business has the potential for good income and profits since these are items that households and restaurants purchase on a regular basis. The keys to success are offering quality, fresh-baked goods and dairy items from reliable suppliers, delivering promptly before products spoil, and providing good customer service.

How much you can make: $30-60k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $5-10k for vehicle, equipment
How long does it take to build: 1-3 months to get licensed and equipped

Lunchbox delivery business

A lunchbox delivery service brings meals directly to people at their workplace or home. This allows busy professionals to focus on their jobs without worrying about taking time to go out and get lunch. These models of food delivery startups can partner with restaurants, cafeterias, or cloud kitchens to prepare healthy, fresh meals that are then delivered in branded lunchboxes. The deliveries can be scheduled through an app or website so customers can customize their orders. As consumers become more health-conscious and pressed for time, the lunch delivery sector is poised to see rapid growth.

How much you can make: $40-100k yearly
How much does it cost to start: $5-10k for vehicle, food prep equipment
How long does it take to build: 1-3 months for licensing, menu development

Conclusion

Whether it’s streamlining logistics, enhancing customer experiences, or exploring niche markets, the delivery business presents a canvas rich with opportunities. One of the advantages of delivery business ideas is that virtually anyone can make them into successful delivery startups, with a bit of patience, market research, and persistence.

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