Online food delivery services thrive because of convenience and speed. Hungry diners who would rather not be bothered while working or resting during the weekends find it easy and convenient to go online and order food for delivery. Worldwide, the food delivery industry is estimated to be worth $30 billion – with the potential to expand and grow to up to $210 billion, analysts at Morgan Stanley revealed.
What is even more interesting is that a big portion of the food delivery market’s needs are not being met, creating a big void.
“Said another way, despite online delivery being around for 15+ years (Seamless started in 1999), online food delivery has 1/5th the penetration of e- commerce and [approximately] 1/20th(!) the penetration of online travel,” an article from Eater.com quoted Morgan Stanley.
While pizza is still the most ordered and delivered food item, customers do order takeaway from their favorite restaurants as well. The demand for food delivery service is high in both rural and urban areas. In Ireland, one online takeaway ordering service is using bold concepts and ideas to heighten the user experience and further the demand for online food delivery.
The company is working on integrating augmented reality, artificial intelligence and other technological advancements meant to change the way customers see, discover, order and enjoy food.
Just Eat has over 9 million global registered users and more than 38,000 restaurant partners. They operate in 15 countries around the globe and makes £700m in revenue per year for the restaurant industry. On average, the company has processed more than 70 million online food delivery orders since 2001.
The company recently showcased their vision for online food delivery by giving guests a sneak peek at the innovations they are planning to introduce.
“an ambition to revolutionize the way people order and enjoy food”
Irish Tech news quoted Amanda Roche Kelly, Managing Director of Just Eat Ireland: “As a company, we have an ambition to revolutionise the way people order and enjoy food. Technology is central to achieving this and is core to our proposition to both customers and restaurant partners. We’re hosting today’s event to demonstrate the latest technology innovations we’re trialling in other markets and share our learnings with the start up community in the industry. As Ireland’s leading marketplace for online food delivery technology will continue to be key to how we grow our reach and service in the coming year.”
“Technology is central to achieving this”
The company partnered with leading technology firms including robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), social media, augmented reality (AR) as well as social media. These aspects were seamlessly integrated to form advanced and innovative technologies that tantalize different senses and make ordering food a totally different experience.
- Collaborating with HoloLens’ augmented reality, Just Eat brings food to life and allows customers to view a restaurant menu as a buffet spread.
- With Apple TV, the company introduced group ordering experience via multiple Apple devices. iPads and iPhones can be connected to Apple TVs in the UK and it makes ordering more simple and efficient.
- The company teamed up with Microsoft to come up with an app for the new Xbox One, offering a multi-cuisine platform that enhances the gaming experience as well as allows customers to order food with just the click of a button.
- Amazon Echo Alexa will soon allow customers to ask the voice-activated Alexa to re-order food, check the status of their orders as well as confirm the mode of payment.
These bold ideas and innovations in the food delivery industry will make a lasting impact on millions of people and undoubtedly change the way food is ordered, delivered, and enjoyed all over the world.
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