Here is a fun fact, did you know that the very first online food ordering was placed somewhere back in 1994? Yeah, it's that old! By 2019, fast food delivery UK, USA, Germany, and China became the world's leading online retail industries with a whopping income of $13.7 billion.
The truth is, humans have become digital nomads, living up a digital life. Everything you need is just a click away and you don't even have to get out of bed for it, literally!
The online food industry has grown ever since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world. The only way people could keep themselves somewhat entertained during quarantine and lockdown was by ordering food online to satiate different cravings.
So what do customers and providers get out of it? Here are the top 5 benefits of online food delivery.
1. Convenient
As a customer, having to physically visit the restaurant to pick up the order can be overwhelming at times. Especially with the current pandemic situation, personally going to pick up your order is neither convenient nor safe. Besides, you would even have to use up fuel for your car to get there and back.
Having ready-made food delivered to your doorstep, how much more convenient can it get? Having a party at your place, a midnight craving but you don't feel like stepping out or maybe unexpected guests show up at your doorstep, online food delivery is the saviour to all your problems.
You can place the order of your favourite food anytime, anywhere. All you have to do is access the delivery platform from your smartphone or tablet. You don't even have to speak on the phone with the customer representative anymore.
2. Endless Options
So, if you physically plan to visit a restaurant, you are given very limited food options, typically from that particular restaurant. However, a food delivery platform is loaded with restaurants, adding in a wide variety of foods. It's almost like an online food court.
Being an owner of a restaurant or home food service, registering on a delivery app can bring you great advantages in terms of exposure and profit. Moreover, you don't need a website to put your food out there. It's a win-win for a customer and a business owner both.
3. Expansion of Customer Base
Another great benefit is the rapidly growing demand for food delivery services by people. Many prefer to order their favourite food at their homes or during office hours when they are not able to physically visit the food chains. The convenience of ordering food at your doorstep has made many people regular customers. People even end up trying new food items from a variety of menus and discovering new eateries as well.
Due to Covid-19, the dynamics of society have changed drastically. The majority of the people had to stay at home either by choice or by force. Many restaurants lost their businesses because customers weren't able to visit their chain for having a meal. On the other hand, the food chains that provided delivery services saw a rapid boost in their businesses.
Therefore, online food delivery provides a great opportunity to target such a huge number of potential customers and make a great deal of profit by providing an efficient home delivery service to them.
4. Minimal Contact
Whether you consider the fact of this widespread pandemic or simply avoid gatherings that you think of as unclean/unhygienic, then you realize the potential of food delivery services. Especially during these trying times, a person is advised by medical experts to maintain strict social distancing from each other. Through minimal contact with the delivery boy, not only you will be saving the hassle of payments and payment of cash in physical form, but you will be practising the proper guidelines for the social distancing provided by the medical experts. This will keep you and your loved ones safe from the pandemic and various other diseases and allergies during these trying times.
5. Promotions and Offers
By cutting some of the costs incurred on food services provided inside the restaurants, you can easily provide a number of better and competitive deals and discounts to your customer base to increase your market presence. By taking out exclusive food deals, people will rush towards ordering food from your restaurant and this will drive your sales up for sure. It's a win-win situation for both the restaurant as well as the customers.
Key Takeaway
While the traditional dine-in eateries have their charm, the online food delivery services have tapped a new market for driving sales and increasing the customer base. By having a food delivery service available, your eatery will boost sales and increase the number of food orders which would have been impossible otherwise.