The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the time spent on meals at home, which has dramatically increased the market size of online food delivery in various countries. By 2023, the global market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11.51%, reaching US$154.34 billion.
Taipei, Taiwan (Business Northeast) – Covid-19 has forced many restaurants to close. To enjoy the food cooked in restaurants, more and more people use food delivery services, which has increased the food delivery of many restaurants. In Google Play, the popular food delivery platforms Uber Eats and foodpanda have downloaded more than 100 million and 50 million times, respectively. In Taiwan, where the pandemic trend remains stable, nearly one-half of the respondents have ordered more food from the food delivery app and will continue to use this service.
The U.S. food delivery industry is dominated by a few major players, including Grubhub, Uber Eats and Doordash. These three suppliers together have approximately 70% of the market. They provide easy-to-use apps that make it easier for American consumers to order delivery meals. According to Statista, the size of the US market in 2018 was US$25.7 billion. It is estimated that by 2022, this number will increase to 33.2 billion U.S. dollars.
IMARC, a market research company, described that the India online food delivery market reached a value of US$ 4.35 Billion in 2020, an increase of 145 million U.S. dollars from the previous year. By 2025, the value of the food delivery market is expected to reach nearly 13 billion U.S. dollars. The most ordered dish on the Indian food delivery platform Swiggy was chicken biryani with over 550 thousand orders.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made Taiwanese who are used to eating out often use delivery services. According to a survey on food delivery apps conducted by Rakuten Insight, during the COVID-19 pandemic, about 45% of respondents in Taiwan ordered more food from the food delivery apps.
In Taiwan, the main consumer group for food delivery apps is between 16 and 24 years old, spending between 100 and 500 TWD (about 3.6-17.9 US dollars). It shows that this food delivery service is most popular among college students and high school students. Taiwanese university student Miss Chen said that using apps for online food delivery is really convenient. You can order whatever you want to eat at the time. When there are special events, it will be cheaper than buying on-site.
Covid-19 poses a threat to life and also affects human dining patterns. Food delivery services provide a wealth of meal options, but most of them are high-calorie foods and sugar-rich beverages, which may cause nutritional imbalances in the long term. The nutritionist recommends that you eat more vegetables and fruits, choose sugar-free beverages, and increase the amount of exercise to improve your resistance and fight diseases.
