Customers can order from various restaurants with a single tap of their mobile phone on online food-delivery platforms, expanding choice and convenience.
As the COVID-19 pandemic threatened the viability of restaurants, delivery became a lifeline. Many restaurants that delivered via online platforms increased their delivery revenue through 2020.
Online Food Delivery – Worldwide
Revenue in the Online Food Delivery segment is projected to reach US$323.30bn in 2022.
To excel in the rapidly growing food-delivery ecosystem, it is necessary to understand how overlapping third-party delivery forces affect individual food-delivery apps. There is no silver bullet for getting it right in the food delivery industry. The best strategy is to use a delivery platform that prioritizes the customer, and this aspect is frequently overlooked in third-party delivery. Your own branded food delivery app gives you more control over offering a diverse menu, better pricing, and an overall improved food delivery experience.
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In the Online Food Delivery segment, the number of users is expected to amount to 2,613.2m by 2027.
Early in the pandemic, lockdowns and physical separation requirements gave this category a considerable boost, with delivery becoming a lifeline for the struggling restaurant industry. For your business to be one of the popular food delivery apps, it’s essential to understand why you need one.
1. Stay ahead of the competition.
With an increase in third-party food delivery apps, one thing that remains constant is your brand’s value. It is indispensable for business owners to cater to consumers’ expectations and stay competitive in today’s on-demand world. Starting your food delivery platform takes care of convenience. As per a survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association in the United States, more than 60% of millennials in the United States want restaurants to use technology to make ordering takeout and delivery more convenient.
Ordering online is simple, with one-step checkout and quick delivery. You can provide your customers with various options, like pick-up only, which allows them to grab and go when they’re in the area.
2. No food aggregator commission
This is one of the most vital driving forces for any business to start with a food delivery platform. Every food delivery business connected to a third-party vendor comes at a cost. According to a report, third-party delivery costs nearly 30% of every delivery order and does not get any cheaper as volume increases. To truly compete in the market, having your food delivery channel allows you to control pricing and costs. Why pay 30% of your profits to other businesses?
Something to think about.
3. Offer a signature menu.
A brand’s menu on a third-party delivery channel is limited. Your delivery platform allows you to offer your customers various options in addition to your standard menu. This gives you more options for enticing customers with new dishes and delivery specials. You can customize your menu anytime you want and offer customers the best. Third-party apps showcase sponsored food items and restaurants, which might turn away users’ focus from your restaurant.
4. A promising option
In the world of technology, change is a good and obvious thing. As a result, we can anticipate changes in the food delivery market for a brighter future.
The most common goal of a food delivery app is to place an order online and at the restaurant. People are less likely to wait for food in restaurants these days. On the other hand, people find it more convenient to have food delivered to their door within a few minutes of placing an order through a food delivery app.
Undoubtedly, the food delivery market is undergoing significant transformations, evidenced by the on-demand food delivery market’s exponential growth. Furthermore, this market has the potential for rapid expansion.
5. Boost loyal customers
What if your brand isn’t listed with a well-known third-party delivery service? Your customer loyalty is likely to suffer as a result. However, if you have a robust and reliable delivery channel, your loyal customers will stay with you. Loyalty is the focus here. If considering expanding your brand, you must offer personalized benefits to your loyal consumers.
6. Smooth operations
Food delivery accuracy is a growing concern for third-party delivery vendors. Either the food is not collected on time, the driver is rude, the food is stale, or there aren’t enough payment options, etc. It is becoming challenging to ensure accurate and safe delivery. Restaurants have a more significant opportunity to follow best practices and provide a better delivery experience than their third-party counterparts, which serve multiple customers from multiple restaurants simultaneously.
7. Staying on top of industry trends
More people than ever are opting for food delivery, and businesses should follow suit to meet the expectations of potential customers. Staying on top of the latest trends will help your business run a long way. With times changing rapidly, you cannot expand by ignoring the technical advancements in the industry.
Restaurants can handle multiple orders more quickly than when people are present. This boosts productivity. Customers spend more on applications because they have more time selecting food items, and customers order more things online. So it’s always better to think ahead of competitors.
Wrapping up
Many restaurants suffered and closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the rise in tech-enabled delivery has been a significant silver lining for many. And the arrival of steaming hot curry, burritos, or fillet mignon—ordered with a few clicks or swipes—has been revelatory for homebound customers. As the “next normal” takes shape, the food-delivery space is poised for further growth and evolution. Delivery platforms must evolve how they use consumer data to improve the user experience (UX) and find novel ways to reduce delivery costs.
With third-party delivery channels eroding margins, restaurants must reconsider their food delivery strategy. This entails conducting extensive research to determine how customers perceive and rate the brand on third-party channels.
The gaps can be an excellent opportunity for restaurants and virtual cloud kitchens to step in and build their delivery platforms. This would enable them to provide more customized menus and a better service experience. Even simple changes to the packaging can improve the freshness of your food.
