Autonomous delivery is a straightforward term: the usage of modern technology to deliver consumer and business goods without the need for human intervention. Through the potential and affordances that autonomous delivery, well, delivers, the very nature of logistics is changing before the world’s eyes.
There are many companies developing and deploying autonomous vehicles onto roads all around the world, but it’s still a nascent industry. As such, much of the focus of autonomous vehicle development has been on commutes—getting people from point A to point B. Of course, transportation also plays a foundational role in logistics—getting things from point A to point B.
As autonomous driving technology evolves and becomes more mainstream, more existing organizations will offer autonomous delivery options for consumer goods. But as a consumer, would you trust an older organization, with potentially outdated ideas about what effective logistics looks like, to safely make timely autonomous deliveries to your home? Or does a company built from the ground up with autonomous innovation in mind sound like a stronger solution?
Bringing autonomous delivery from a place of innovation
Nuro is an American robotics company founded in 2016 that’s developing autonomous delivery vehicles—vehicles for things, not people. Situated on a landing page that features a gorgeous shot of a woman and a child exiting a stylish home to a curious-looking vehicle, a catchy four word couplet greets your visit to Nuro’s website: “Less driving. More thriving.”
It’s not just a pithy rhyme: it’s a battlecry. Even if you happen upon Nuro’s website not at all knowing what the company does or is about, those four words have likely already caught your attention. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to both rid themselves of a few too many lengthy (and pricy) commutes in their life, all while, as they say, thriving?
But when I visit a website for a company that’s unfamiliar to me, I cheat—I start at their about page. I was greeted with a sentence describing “a future worth delivering”: “Nuro has the potential to improve daily life for millions of people delivering safer streets, a healthier planet, and more equitable access to goods—all while giving people time back to spend on what really matters.” In other words, less driving, more thriving. To paraphrase George Lucas, it’s like poetry. This sentence metaphorically “rhymes” with that hero copy couplet.
Bringing a vision to life in consumers’ minds
Scrolling down on the front page, we find copy that briskly outlines the company’s core goals:
“Delivering the things you love and a little more time to enjoy them.”
“Making roads safer for everyone.”
“And running every errand with zero emissions.”
The use of gerunds for these three simple lines deftly implies that Nuro doesn’t just intend to do these things—they will be doing them continuously over time. But it’s the sign off to the hero copy that brings the company’s message home: “Here to make your everyday a little better.” The first word here subtly transitions to the present tense in order to show how Nuro isn’t like other startups that fixate on speculative R&D; they’re laser-focused on making autonomous commutes a market reality that consumers can benefit from.
The Nuro 3rd Gen vehicle is what makes it all possible. The hero copy for this vehicle page reads, “Hi, I’m new here.” These four words work to establish a relationship between the reader and a vehicle that, let’s face it, holds the fate of its deliveries in the metaphorical palm of its hands (or rather, its wheels).
Nuro frequently employs a useful trick to sell their vision: sharp, direct points. As we progress down the sleekly designed website, Nuro proclaims: “Delivery redesigned.” They list three core elements of the vehicle’s capabilities to back up this bold claim: “Plenty of space,” “heating and cooling capability,” and “customizable compartments.” While largely self-explanatory, each point is bolstered by two snappy sentences which embellish the key takeaway to help cement the potential of a delivery made with the Nuro vehicle.
The next section of this page is anchored by yet another bold statement: “Emissions eliminated” through a “fully electric fleet” and “ethically sourced components”. Sustainability is (pardon the pun) an evergreen topic in the world of transportation, especially as more and more evidence suggests that vehicular emissions massively contribute to climate change. This sharp copy manages to hook even people passionate about the environment by highlighting the Nuro 3rd Gen’s sustainable nature as a core product feature.
But autonomous vehicles can’t make it out of the parking lot without excellent technology. The sentence “It’s time for robots to do the driving” here feels like a science fiction aspiration, yet there’s enough detail peppered throughout the page that makes Nuro’s goal seem feasible. Case in point: “Our custom autonomous delivery vehicles are designed to drive in neighborhoods. And because they only carry goods, they prioritize the safety of others.”
A financial platform got a revamped website
A data platform for financial traders, TrendSpider used clever AI technology to boost performance and make day trading more effective. Unfortunately, its old website buried the platform’s true value in industry jargon. Unfazed, MarketSmiths dove headfirst into the industry specifics. We combined targeted questions with platform demos, research, and even a brief foray into day trading. All this hard work soon paid off. TrendSpider’s finished website threads wit through reason, enticing visitors to explore all the platform has to offer—while its ingenious use of AI are getting traders to return time and time again.
Testing the bounds of possibility with next-generation technology
This is possible thanks to Nuro’s “technology advantage”. Their vehicles are “small on purpose”, which makes for “better passive and dynamic safety” when carrying goods. Each features a “smarter stack” of technical features backed by “intelligent production” that “allows [them] to build the best system without being limited by the constraints of existing vehicles.” And best of all, the vehicles are “on roads today”.
Nuro points out that “leading retail brands” are “continuously testing” their vehicle fleet to enable “safe, driverless delivery.” Nuro ensures audiences that may still be skeptical that their “robots are human powered” by emphasizing how “a future worth delivering” that can “improve daily life for millions of people” is only possible with smart people at the helm.
At the end of the day, Nuro’s mission is to develop robot vehicles for people, by people. To that end, the company’s shrewd approach to humanistic copy paints a picture of how autonomous delivery can change a person’s life and the world in ways that glossy demonstrations of sophisticated technology can’t. Their message: speak clearly, and you can sell any vision of the future.
Are you looking to deliver excellent copy that converts your target prospects? Get in touch with the team at MarketSmiths today.
