The food delivery system has become a huge part of the food industry across the globe. Along with restaurants, star-hotels and cafes, we have also started to include food delivery partners to understand the functioning of the whole food sector. While food delivery trends largely emerged during the lockdown, a lot has changed since then and we are slowly returning to a newer normal. Therefore, the trends in food delivery are slowly changing. As the sphere is constantly changing and growing, we take a look at the top online food ordering trends of 2023.
Top 10 Trends in Food Delivery
1. Direct Delivery
Among the major online food ordering, the leading factor is direct delivery. In this system, restaurants have slowly begun to offer direct delivery services. If you notice, such practices are in play at stores like Domino’s Pizza. They have direct services and also partner with food delivery organizations. In one way, restaurants save more money by how much they spend on fees and also have the space to control and organize better customer experience.
2. Drone Delivery
If you haven’t heard of the upcoming latest in-trend food delivery, it is the delivery using drones. Such deliveries not only take the concept of contactless delivery to a different level but also revolutionise the food industry and delivery system in multiple ways. Oftentimes, your food might arrive late because of the never-ending line of traffic. However, with drone delivery, traffic would no longer be an issue. When made with a calculated budget, drone delivery also makes the process cost-effective.
3. Robots Delivery
In many restaurants, robots have begun to take orders and provide service. Aptly, the food delivery system is also catching up on this trend. Like drone delivery, using robots to deliver food is a plan many have been working on. Autonomous robots can play a huge role in reducing labor costs. Similarly, it can also improve the contactless strategy of online food ordering trends.
4. Cloud kitchens
Earlier, making your dreams of building your own restaurant meant that you had to spend loads on investment. You needed a perfect place and proper tables, aesthetic lighting, and more. However, the emerging food delivery trends also paved the way for a whole different restaurant idea. Known as cloud kitchens, virtual kitchens, or ghost kitchens, such restaurants solely function on the idea of a delivery system. You completely let go of the concept of a physical kitchen and take only orders. This massively reduces the investment costs.
5. Self-Driving Cars
A lot of trends in food delivery are heavily technology-influenced. The next in line is the delivery by self-driving cars. Like the robots, self-driving cars are still very much in the experimental phase, but seems to be a promising trend that could change the food delivery industry forever.
6. Crowdsourcing
Besides delivery partners and direct delivery systems, many restaurants are opting for crowdsourcing. In simple words, this trend is the freelancing wing of food delivery. It is a network of independent delivery drivers who are approached to fulfill orders. Crowdsourcing makes the food delivery business more flexible.
7. Tech Giants Acquiring
While we have many delivery platforms, the emerging delivery partners are backed by tech giants. For example, Amazon acquired Whole Foods and Uber launched Ubereats. Therefore, there is a large shift in who owns the food delivery companies. The entry of such giants indicates further experimentation and growth in space.
8. Grocery Delivery
If you keenly observe the online ordering trends, you will learn that there is an equal or sometimes faster growth for grocery delivery. While more customers seem to benefit from it, delivery partners are also largely including this as a part of their delivery system. There is a more significant growth in grocery delivery so it is going to be the next big thing in the delivery trends.
9. Quick Deliveries
A rise in the number of food delivery partners results in a higher competition. While the major focus is on offering discounts and deals so that the customers choose or stay with a particular platform, there have been several other attempts and taking the lead. One such trend is to offer quick deliveries. The waiting time will become shorter and quick services will become a norm. This has both good and bad effects on the industry.
10. Health and Sustainability
Post covid, along with food delivery system and OTT growth, another important aspect that took a lead is a focus on healthy lifestyle. It all begins with a balanced meal. So, food delivery trends will highly focus on healthy meal options. A lot of new restaurants have their whole menu focused on health. Likewise, packaging has become more common with food delivery growth. So restaurants and delivery partners have also started to focus on more sustainable and environmentally friendly packaging. This reduces the carbon footprint and positively impacts the environment.
Are You Ready for What’s Next?
In totality, the food industry is all set to undergo a massive change not just in 2023 but for more years that follow. To be precise, the food delivery system is still in its early stages. It has been only a few years since food delivery options began to take the lead. So, the trends are only the first of many. The ideas of robots, drones, and others show the influence of technological advances and automation in the food delivery space. But these are basic influences that would tend to evolve with time. While technology has a major influence of online food delivery, the space is also constantly changing because of changing trends in people’s buying behavior, an increased focus on health and environment, the shift in prioritizing comfort over everything else and the fight in the market among restaurants, food delivery partners, tech giants and others to make a successful strategy and lead the food delivery space.
As a customer, you might begin to wonder about the perils of all these. Of course, it is right to think about the dangers. For instance, the fight to win this race has led platforms to reduce the delivery run time which affects the working class who have to somehow rush and manage to deliver the goods within 10 minutes. This seemingly impossible task puts a lot of pressure and could lead to many issues like even accidents. Like these, there are numerous side effects of these emerging trends in food delivery. So, what’s next for the food industry is to implement these trends in a way that most risks are mitigated and optimum use of these changes are enjoyed.
FAQs
What is the future of the food delivery industry in India?
The future of the food delivery Industry in India is vibrant and positive. There is going to be significant growth in the food delivery trends and the market in India is going to get bigger than ever.
Are food delivery subscription services cost-effective for regular customers?
Yes, it is cost-effective. There is a rapid evolution in the food delivery system in India, which in turn, impacts the multiple online ordering trends among consumers. Among the numerous services is the facility of food delivery subscription where such customers are offered additional discounts, deals, and offers. So when a regular customer opts for a subscription, they can save a lot of money.
