Introduction to Future Of On-demand Delivery
The concept of food delivery is not something unique as people used to order food via telephones and mobile apps in the past. But the COVID-19 outbreak has changed the whole food delivery landscape. Lockdowns and the need for social distancing have forced many people to stay at their own homes.
As per statista, the number of users for an on-demand food delivery app will grow at 965.8 million (approx.) in 2024. These numbers are showing that customers are more comfortable in getting food on their doorsteps rather than stepping out of their homes.
This comfort has created an upsurge in the demand for on demand food delivery solutions. Let us see what on-demand delivery has in store for you.
Which are the innovations that will disrupt the on-demand delivery market in the future?
To cope up with the fierce competition and keeping up with the ever-changing consumer demands, you need to consider the latest technological advancements. Here are the six major trends that would revolutionize the on-demand food delivery markets in the upcoming years:
Rise of innovative delivery methods
On-demand food deliveries are now going through yet another stage of development as technological innovations are changing shipping again. Here are some unique delivery methods that you need to look at:
Domino’s was the first company to allow its customers to place orders by just tweeting a pizza emoji on its official Twitter account. The customers need to create a “Pizza Profile” on the domino’s official twitter account. After creating the account, the customers have to provide their order details to get a twitter hashtag.
Grubhub has tied up with Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa for making deliveries. When a customer tells its order to Alexa, it immediately places the order and announces the estimated delivery time.
OrderUp is one such food delivery platform that allows its users to place orders, track their deliveries in real-time, and check the estimated time of arrival on their Apple Watch.
AR and VR technologies for enhanced customer experience
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will help you to create a strong customer base for you. It will also provide you tremendous benefits like innovative marketing campaigns, increased brand awareness, and virtual training sessions for your employees.
Just-Eat launched an augmented reality feature to promote food offerings. This feature will be available through Facebook Messenger. It allows the customer to see their favorite food directly popping into their mouths with their cameras. This unique and funny feature will increase customer engagement.
KabaQ is an AR app that virtually places 3D images of dishes so that its users can learn how their favorite dish looks like before ordering it. To experience an AR food menu, users have to scan the restaurant menu card with the KabaQ app. It will show them the 3D image of their food.
Applications of AI-based solutions in making deliveries
You don’t need to rely upon traditional delivery methods. You can fasten up your deliveries and cut your operational costs by integrating innovative AI solutions into your business.
The need for avoiding touch and the need for maintaining social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the drone deliveries. As per statista, global drone delivery markets would grow at 1.68 billion dollars (approx.) by 2023. Drones will help you to decrease your delivery time and distance as it will reach directly to your customers’ homes.
The evolution of artificial intelligence will boost the usage of robots and self-driven cars. Robots will use real-time tracking to make fast and accurate deliveries. Many countries are also working on developing driverless cars. They can help the on-demand delivery businesses in decreasing their workforce as there no human interaction is needed to make the deliveries.
Innovative blockchain solutions
The rise of blockchain technology has introduced crypto food orders in the on-demand delivery markets. Customers can easily place their food orders by using cryptocurrencies. They do not need to stick to the limited payment options. The integration of cryptocurrency into an on-demand delivery solution has gradually decreased financial fraud.
Introduction of pick up shelves
Chipotle has introduced a new on-demand delivery business called pick-up shelf. The pick-up shelf allows the customers to order food from the mobile app and let them pick directly from the restaurant.
It will also let your employees preparing the food orders by just scanning out the infographic layout of the required ingredients. This will increase the speed and accuracy of serving orders.
Further on-demand service related post: 5 Amazing Success tips for On Demand Food Ordering & Delivery Business
Exploration of new business opportunities
Many food delivery services focus on a specific segment. Being in a niche can help you to fight off the cutthroat competition as it allows you to concentrate on just a single portion of your business. To be successful in the on-demand delivery business, you need to keep an eye on new niches that are gaining popularity, including fighting food waste and pet food delivery platforms.
Food waste apps help restaurants and grocery stores to get rid of leftovers and supply the food to the poor and needy people. Foodcowboy, Flashfood, Spoileralert, 412 food rescue, etc., are the few names who provide this kind of service.
Today, the millennials find pet food home delivery a convenient and healthy way to treat their pet buddies. Now they can order food for their beloved animals with just a single click on their smartphones. Chewy, Nom Nom, Ollie, Petco, etc., are some of the famous pet food delivery platforms.
Summing Up
With an upsurge in the smart devices and the emergence of on-demand delivery businesses, customers are becoming more demanding. That is why we have discussed six delivery trends that will help you to enhance your on-demand food delivery business.
You can hire a software development team, or you can extend dedicated software team for developing an on-demand delivery application for your business. Keep following this space for more such insights.
Author – Bio
Mushahid Khatri is a Chief Executive Officer of Yelowsoft which is one of the leading on demand cargo delivery solution. He believes in sharing his strong knowledge base with leaned concentration on entrepreneurship and business.
