Since I was a teenager living in Campinas, a tech city one hour by car from São Paulo, I remembered using the landline telephone to call our favorite restaurant to order a pizza. The process was ok, so we kept using the same method even when the cell phone era came. But, the story changed when smartphones began having internet connection, that’s when the revolution began.

Mobile technology has already changed the way we communicate, make plans, spend our free time, and do daily tasks. I doubt that all those years ago when Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone that he envisioned all the ways a phone in someone’s pocket would change the way we live. It’s been exhilarating to be part of a company on the forefront of new frontiers in mobile technology. One area many of us are involved with and watching closely is food delivery.

Economists predict a 23 percent growth in the field of food delivery over the next several years. What’s so promising and exciting about this type of business is the way in which it harnesses a person’s basic need with innovations in mobile technology. The use of smartphones is growing exponentially worldwide, and consumers love the ease and convenience of using the technology for everything–from finding directions to calling for a car to ordering food from a local restaurant.

Mobile delivery platforms are increasingly becoming the most popular way to order food; overall, online delivery has grown to a whopping 30 percent of the total delivery market, and that’s why we’re seeing more investments in this area. The infographic below provides a picture of the waves of this growth.

1st Generation: Phone Calls

As I said above, the first phase of food delivery is one that was dominant throughout the years — calling up the restaurant to place the order, which then sends out a delivery. Through this system, the restaurant not only had to worry about the quality of their food, but also had to arrange a fleet to handle the deliveries. In addition, we concentrate people who are very loyal to certain restaurants. After all, we are all creatures of habit – we have the tendency to end up calling the same ones we are used to going.

Although this market is still very robust, we observe that the second generation is rapidly substituting this first According to a study conducted by the NPD in May 2010, approximately 1.39 billion people placed orders through their phones yet in May 2015, the number dropped to around 1.02 billion.

2nd Generation: Mobile marketplaces

During the 2010s, the rise of the second phase began. With the increase usage of smartphones and the growth of the collaborative economy, startups turned their focus to food. In this generation, restaurants still take care of their own deliveries, but customers order via an app such as GrubHub, iFood, and Just Eat. Compared to the first generation, the second one is dominated by apps. These apps opened both customers’ minds and palates, as through them, consumers have access to a great variety of options that perhaps they didn’t know existed previously. Or maybe they did, but they didn’t have such free access to these restaurants. They end up experimenting with different kinds of restaurants.

Since these apps are only providing a platform for customers and businesses to interact, these companies can benefit from high profit margins and focus their attention on providing customers with the easiest and most pleasant experience.

3rd Generation: Full-service platform

The next phase evolved as a consequence of changes shown in the client’s behaviour. These behaviours entail even better and faster experiences and the need to find everything they want in a single platform. Furthermore, this third generation of food delivery provides: even more ease and choice. Along with that it also offers more logistical support for restaurants by providing not only the platform but also an integrated delivery system. Examples of this type of business include Uber Eats, Spoon Rocket, and Rappido. In this model, restaurants don’t have to develop their own apps or even grow their own delivery sides; the app does it for them. Market analysts predict that the potential for growth in this area can reach €20 billion by 2025.

As the infographic below indicates, centralizing the delivery system, which takes the burden off from the local business, offers higher quality, shorter delivery times, and efficient tracking systems. Because these delivery systems are working by the same principles of already successful delivery portals, restaurants don’t need to reinvent the wheel. From the users’ perspective, it’s more expensive but the quality is quality.

4th Generation: Ghost restaurants

We are now close to approaching the next phase, which is the introduction of ghost restaurants. This new concept proposes restaurants that only have kitchens. In other words, they are focused on delivery, rather than on serving up a dining experience. You may be questioning the efficiency of this model, as it’s general knowledge that, in most cases, restaurants earn more when customers consume on the premises. They order drinks and desserts, pay for the service, which sometimes doesn’t happen when you order online. But, focusing your cost on an efficient delivery system can help save real estate costs, staff, insurance, among other factors. Also, the restaurants have more time to think in new strategies to make their system more efficient.

Delivery Center is an example of this new system. They are building centers with several of these kitchens, which makes the process more efficient and dramatically increases the number of deliveries. This model, with its potential to keep costs down without sacrificing quality or convenience, has yet to prove itself but presents a possible answer to some of the drawbacks of the other models. Furthermore, the ghost restaurant model has the potential to keep costs low without sacrificing the quality of convenience. Despite not being a tried and tested model, it certainly provides the best possible answer to our new scenario.

It’s clear that the success of food delivery services is a bright spot in economies worldwide, and we, here at Movile, are excited to be part of this growing, innovative market.

Deixe um comentário

O seu endereço de e-mail não será publicado. Campos obrigatórios são marcados com *

Entre em contato agora mesmo