The average can be a price nobody pays
Imagine three Kenyan orders with illustrative delivery quotes of KSh 100, KSh 200 and KSh 300. Their average is KSh 200: (100 + 200 + 300) ÷ 3. But the orders do not all cost KSh 200 to deliver. The average describes the group; it does not describe any particular parcel unless one quote happens to match it.
That matters when you are deciding whether to buy, quoting a customer or setting a delivery charge. Use an average as a rough planning figure. For the actual decision, check the parcel and locations involved.
One average, three different orders
Suppose those quotes belong to these illustrative orders:
- A small parcel going to a nearby drop-off point: KSh 100.
- A medium parcel going to a different location: KSh 200.
- A larger parcel going to another location: KSh 300.
The arithmetic is simple: KSh 600 in total across three orders, divided by three, gives an average of KSh 200. Yet using that average as the delivery charge for every customer would overcharge the first order by KSh 100 and undercharge the third by KSh 100. The middle order happens to match.
The example is illustrative, not a Moveka tariff. Actual options and prices depend on the parcel details and locations entered. Size, weight, collection or delivery arrangements, and destination can all make one order different from another. A past average cannot tell you which current option applies to the parcel in front of you.
When averages help—and when they don’t
A delivery average can help a seller estimate a broad monthly budget or compare one period with another, provided the orders are reasonably similar. It can also flag that costs are changing and deserve a closer look.
But it is a poor substitute for a quote when pricing a single order. Averages can hide a mix of small and large parcels, nearby and more distant destinations, or different delivery choices. If your order mix changes, the average may shift even when none of the individual options has changed.
For a customer-facing offer, be clear about who pays delivery. If you advertise “free delivery”, the customer pays no separate delivery charge, but the business still bears that cost. If you charge delivery separately, treat that charge as revenue and the delivery expense as a cost; don’t count either twice when working out the order’s contribution.
Check the order before quoting
Before you tell a customer what delivery will cost, use this quick check:
- Confirm the parcel’s actual details, including its size and weight.
- Enter the relevant collection and delivery locations.
- Review the applicable options and prices for that order.
- Explain whether delivery is paid separately or included in your offer.
For example, if a customer asks about a medium parcel, don’t assume the KSh 200 average applies just because it is the midpoint in the sample. Enter that parcel’s details and locations on Moveka, then base your reply on the options shown for it. That gives both you and the customer a decision grounded in the order, rather than a group statistic.
Price the parcel, not the midpoint
Keep averages for rough planning. When it is time to commit to a delivery choice or state a charge, check the actual order. Moveka is a strong next step because you can see applicable delivery options and prices using your real parcel details and locations, then choose what fits.
