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Food delivery has reached the peak of its popularity due to our extremely fast and busy way of living. If earlier people could spend hours sitting in a cafe or a restaurant chatting and eating their meal, now this leisure is not so common. We tend to grab a bite on the go or order something to our house after the hard and eventful day. Earlier our food delivery options were quite limited – we could either make a call to a restaurant or order on their website. However, everything changed when the food industry started closely cooperating with IT sphere. Food delivery options became wider and therefore more customers got satisfied.
In this article we would like to cover the topic of new trends and apps in food delivery niche and how they all can help overcome such dangerous global problem as food waste.
How technology changed food industry in 2019-2020
Nowadays IT and food industry go hand in hand and their connection is extremely strong. The contributions of technology cannot be underestimated. So, without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the innovations that make food delivery so fast and convenient as we all know and like it.
First and probably the most important thing that allowed food companies to offer better services and more customer-oriented approach was introduction and implementation of Big Data. This technology lets restaurants and cafes gather and effectively analyse a huge amount of information about the clients and their food preferences, check out their feedbacks and reviews and provide timely reaction to complaints alongside with more personalized services. As to food delivery itself, Big Data helps to track traffic, improve logistics and as a result deliver the order much quicker.
The development of food delivery apps became the next huge game changer for the whole food industry. Apps allowed to erase all borders and make food ordering more handy and enjoyable. Now you have an access to the whole menu of a cafe or a restaurant, you can customize your order and even set the delivery type and time. Now ordering process is totally at your fingertips. And speaking about the delivery type, get ready to be amazed! Courier delivery is not the only possible way to get your food. Due to technology achievements such unusual options like drone or autonomous robot delivery became a reality.
Key trends in food apps
Each year every sphere of our life undergoes some rapid changes and food industry is no exception. After analysing the current situation and taking into account all innovations present on the digital market, we can separate the following hot trends in food apps:
- Cryptocurrency payment. Earlier you ordered food and then had to pay for it either with cash (give it directly to a courier) or using your bank card (insert all details while order making). Now there is one more better and contemporary way to proceed with your restaurant order. What can be more progressive than an ability to pay for your food using cryptocurrency? Blockchain technology gained huge popularity and food industry could not ignore this fact and stay aside. F.e. such popular companies as Takeaway and Papa John’s Pizza already offer their customers to buy food and pay with cryptocurrency. And they are not the only ones on the market who introduced new payment option.
- Special apps for wearables. Smartwatches became an integral part of our everyday life and their sales skyrocketed in the last 2 years. So it’s no wonder that major food delivery companies created not only online platforms for customers, but also solutions for Android and Apple smart wearables. It is probably the newest and most interesting trend of this year. You can make an order right from your wrist wherever you are, which is very convenient and time-saving.
- Food delivery bots for messengers. It is hard to imagine our day without chatting with someone in a messenger or reading some news from a certain channel. Messengers have become not only a tool for exchanging phrases with friends, but also a great platform for chatbots implementation. Many restaurants, pizza houses and coffee shops started creating their own chatbots for food delivery. It is easier than ever to make your order using them as they ask you to insert all necessary details and complete order processing in a couple of minutes. Chatbots are so well thought-out that they can replace real managers in the future.
- Food waste apps can be called one more huge and probably the most prominent and eco-friendly trend that recently appeared in food delivery industry. We rarely think about the amount of food that is being thrown away by us as well as by many big food houses all over the world. Not only it is awful for our planet ecology but also it is irrational towards vulnerable social groups. Therefore food waste apps should become more popular and there should be more of them worldwide.
As a company that cares for our planet, we would like to pay more attention to the latest trend in this list and emphasize the importance of such eco-friendly solutions.
Apps that combat food waste problem
If you still have doubts that food waste apps can be any good at fighting against such global problem as food waste, we can reassure you and make some good examples, demonstrating how they are already working on it. There are not so many food waste apps on the digital market yet, but after examining some of them it can be said that:
- They mainly help restaurants, cafes and groceries to get rid of extra food in a wiser way, without simply throwing it away.
- They help people in need to get enough nutritious and fresh food at an affordable price.
- They allow to reduce your own food waste by offering a unique collection of recipes that can help you use some of the products (that you attempted to throw away) to cook a great meal.
Now let’s take a look at 2 great examples demonstrating how food waste apps serve their purposes and help promote more thoughtful attitude to food consumption.
Food Rescue US – probably one of a kind app for both Android and iOS devices, which is aimed to help Americans in need by offering the delivery of fresh food from groceries or restaurants that have it in surplus. They also provide the delivery to community kitchens or just right to the door of people in need. Anyone can register in the app and become Food Donor. Therefore this app helps not only big food houses to reduce food waste but also allows people to share their extra food and simply do some good.
Food for All – this app is available for both iOS and Android devices and it helps to get 50% discount for unsold tasty meals cooked in any of your nearby restaurants or cafes. You simply choose a food place, then pick any extra meal they offer, pay for it within the app and pick it up from a special window before restaurant closes. As a result, the food waste is reduced and everyone has an opportunity to taste delicious and exquisite meals for the very modest cost. It’s totally a win-win situation.
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Final Words
Our society currently undergoes massive changes and alters its attitude to excessive consumerism. Food industry will always be demanded and highly profitable because it has to do with the basic human needs. And it is great that many business owners and customers started reconsidering their behavior and impact that is has on our planet. Food delivery apps and solutions helping to reduce food waste will definitely keep appearing and becoming more advanced. The technology does not stay still and it can help make our planet a better place.
