By Rieva Lesonsky

This has been a rough winter for most Americans. The frigid temperatures and record snowfall has hurt many small business owners as consumers couldn’t get out to shop or even keep their appointments at salons, spas or with their accountants.

But Jed Kleckner, CEO of delivery.com, says the Polar Vortex (the third one of the winter hits this week) has been good for businesses like his. In fact sales are up 40 percent at delivery.com (from July 2013 to last month).

Kleckner says “comfort foods” are in demand from consumers in need of some sustenance. He reports “soup sales are hot,” led by orders for chicken noodle soup, which were up 185 percent. Orders of grilled cheese (my ultimate comfort food) rose 100 percent.

And it’s not just food; consumers are ordering whiskey and bourbon (up 60 percent each), wine (also up 60 percent) and vodka (up 35 percent).

While delivery.com delivers food, liquor (and even laundry and dry cleaning) from other small businesses, think about how you can capitalize on the demand for delivery. Can you partner with delivery.com (or a similar service) to deliver your products, or start offering delivery on your own?

Demand for product delivery is not just about winter (or food), but about convenience. If you make your customers lives easier, they’re more likely be become loyal fans of your small business.

Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a media and custom content company focusing on small business and entrepreneurship. Email Rieva at rieva@smallbizdaily.com, follow her on Google+   and Twitter.com/Rieva and visit her website, SmallBizDaily.com, to get the scoop on business trends and sign up for Rieva’s free TrendCast reports.