New Research from Deliverect Finds Consumers are Ordering More Delivery and Takeaways in Spite of Inflation and Increased Cost of Living

• 7,000 global consumers were surveyed to identify preferences and changing habits when it comes to restaurant offerings

• The survey marks the launch of Deliverect’s ‘Food for Thought’ series, which provides practical advice for restaurant owners and operators to thrive

Deliverect, a global scale-up that simplifies digital orders for more than 27,000 locations across 40 markets, announced new global research, which revealed that more people are purchasing takeaway or delivery orders today than they were before the recent increase in cost of living. The survey, which was commissioned by Deliverect and conducted by Censuswide, found that 57.34% of consumers are now purchasing up to three takeaways in a week now, in comparison to 49% prior to the inflation increase.

The research reveals that while people are putting more thought behind how they spend their money, they are more likely to cut back on other activities such as buying clothing (44%), going out for drinks and dinner (47%) and traveling (43%) more.

“Undoubtedly people are becoming more conscious of where they’re spending as we witness a rise in inflation and cost of living globally,” said Zhong Xu, CEO and Co-founder of Deliverect. “The research findings may be surprising to some, but evidently people are continuing to prioritize and enjoy the convenience of takeaway and food delivery – yet their expectations continue to rise. Quality, consistency, and speed will help restaurants stand out from the crowd. Technology is here to help the food service community manage everything that goes into digital orders to come out more profitable and operationally savvy than before.”

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Quality Above All Else

As people watch their spending, they are putting great taste and ingredients at the forefront of their ordering decisions. Over two thirds (69%) of people say the taste of food is more important when watching their spending, as is the quality of restaurant ingredients (67%). People are also looking for social proof before selecting where to eat, with nearly 3 in 5 (59%) saying restaurant ratings/customer reviews are now more important than ever. Overall, the top reason customers would order from a restaurant again is because of its good quality of food (52%). Consumers are also looking for a variety of great menu choices, with people selecting a restaurant for delivery or takeaway if it has a variety of menu offerings (27%).

Fast, Seamless Delivery Influencing Choice  

Another important element for customers is quick, streamlined deliveries. Fast delivery is likely to encourage people to order from a restaurant again (41%), as is food arriving at the proper temperature (31%). Thirty-two percent of customers are also likely to choose from one restaurant over another due to a quicker delivery time, and 25% of people will select a restaurant due to its proximity/convenient location. Thirty-eight percent of people also agree that 21-30 minutes is the maximum average time to wait for their order to arrive.

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Multiple Delivery Options Driving Orders

Consumers trust delivery apps to deliver the best value and experience for their money today. One-third (37%) of people find ordering food from a restaurant via apps such as Deliveroo, Uber Eats, JustEat, Grubhub, Seamless, DoorDash the most reliable, followed very closely by ordering directly from the restaurant (35%). Just over 1 in 7 (or 15%) only trust picking up takeaway directly from a restaurant.

“Working with Deliverect has been great for Chipotle’s business. It’s allowed us to add the additional delivery partners that we wanted to and increased the number of transactions that we are able to process,” said Andrew Lawrence, Chipotle IT Manager UK & Europe. “This means we can continue getting our food in the hands of happy customers, especially when deliveries and takeaways are at an all-time high.”

This research follows Deliverect’s findings on consumer sustainability preferences and marks the launch of its ongoing research series, Food for Thought. The series will continue examining consumer preferences and habits to identify opportunities and priorities for the restaurant industry to thrive.