Retailers are ignoring the disruptive danger of the no-cooking trend
From Dominique Locher, Vevey, Switzerland, First generation online food pioneer since 1999
Tim Bradshaw, in “Takeaway victorious in £6bn battle for Just Eat” (January 11), describes the creation of one of the world’s biggest players in the once-in-a-generation shift in consumers’ eating habits. I am puzzled by the absence of bricks and mortar players in this rapidly evolving food delivery scene.
There is indeed a massive structural change in customer behaviour happening under the eyes of the classic retailer — and they don’t seem to move. With some exceptions such as the recent takeover of DejBox by Carrefour in France or the commitment of Amazon with Deliveroo in the UK, most others remain passive or even ignorant. This trend from homecooking to no-cooking lures customers away from the classic supermarket aisle, and every home-delivered ready-to-eat meal is a missed shopping act.
Generations Y and Z in particular seek more convenience, and this quest for easing their lives also touches the plate. Numbers speak a clear language: according to the UBS Evidence lab consumer study based on global data 2018, younger consumers (25-34) are ordering on average 1.22 times a week from those food delivery platforms, compared with 0.23 times for those aged 55-plus. Or just look at Takeaway.com, the Dutch food delivery platform that has just published its figures: jaw-dropping. Total orders for 2019 year jumped 70 per cent, due to a 113 per cent spike in the German market, 81 per cent in other markets and 16 per cent in its home market, Holland.
The battle of the “share of plate” should be at the top of the chief experience officer’s agenda of every single retailer. Too often the online food market share is already (by mistake) ridiculed, but the “online supermarket” is just the tip of the iceberg, the real disruptive danger is further down the value chain, the online food delivery market.