In the rise of online ordering, food delivery software reigns supreme

In the 21st century, technology has expanded its reach to almost every corner of the world. Nowadays, it’s nearly impossible to imagine a company or a house running without the use of modern technology, either directly or indirectly.

Though mobile phones and the internet started creeping into the lives of people in the 20th century itself, the more effective role was played by their advancements in this present century. Ordinary mobile phones, which have traditionally been limited to calls, SMS, and a bit of internet use, have given way to smartphones, which come with a lot more features and functionalities. In the same vein, the 21st century has been focused on providing better internet services to every corner of the globe at affordable prices that can be accessed on every smartphone.

A total of 5.07 billion people around the world use the internet today — equivalent to 63.5 percent of the world’s total population. Internet users continue to grow with the latest data indicating that the world’s connected population grew by more than 170 million in the 12 months by October 2022.

This advancement is not just limited to technology but has impacted its surroundings as well. It not only evolved the business strategies of the companies but also changed consumer behavior. The increased usage of smartphones has shifted consumers to focus on the online mode of shopping. In the e-Commerce market, the number of users is expected to reach 5,263.6m by 2027. Companies realizing the changing trends started to adapt themselves in order to save themselves from being kicked out of the market.

The food delivery industry is among the industries that have fully utilized the technology. Restaurants, to keep themselves afloat, made a quick shift to online mode by on boarding themselves on online food marketplaces running with the help of advanced food delivery software.

Although the trend of restaurants and other food outlets selling online started in the second decade of this century it gained traction during COVID-19. COVID-19 was the turning point in the process of restaurants and other small food outlets. As a result of the pandemic, most people were confined to their homes and totally dependent upon delivery services for food, groceries, and other essentials. Restaurants completely dependent upon an offline mode for running their business operations took this change as the warning bell and shifted to adopt an online mode. Not just this, COVID-19 led to the innovation of new forms of food outlets like ghost kitchens or dark kitchens, whose only mode of survival is online food deliveries.

How could they align themselves so quickly with this changing trend?

It is the food delivery software, readily available in the market that enabled their easy online transition. The quick leaps and bounds in technology have made businesses get rid of the process of developing software from the scratch. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), software once built is made available to businesses on the internet, has laid a smooth path for restaurants to go online without having to develop their own software from the beginning.

The role played by the food delivery software in online ordering is ultimate. Customers and food delivery outlets both received what they desired. Listed below are some of the points that make food delivery software indispensable in online ordering and delivery.

· Enriches customer experience: The food ordering apps deliver the ultimate convenience to the customers. The customers could easily download the app and start using the same by simply signing up in a few effortless steps. Using smart search options like filters and product tags, customers could quickly find the food items they were looking for and fill their cart to proceed with the checkout process.

· Wide array of payment options: Payment is the backbone for any business to run successfully and in order to maintain the smooth flow in the coffers, customers should be able to pay without any fear and hassles. The availability of payment options like payment gateways, cash on delivery (COD), and payment through cards have made customers order more using the ordering apps. Food delivery software has further pushed towards advancement by including payment through cryptocurrencies.

· Quick delivery: Currently, food delivery businesses are competing in the race for quick deliveries. The faster, the better. The one taking the least time to deliver the food gains the confidence of the customers and thus, increased sales and profit. In the race, food delivery software is leaving no stone unturned to assist them by utilizing features like GPS tracking for displaying the best possible route to the customer’s location.

· Automation of processes: By bringing in automation wherever possible, the food delivery software increases the speed and accuracy required by the restaurant to scale. For instance, automation helps restaurants handle multiple orders at once and assign them to the most suitable drivers without any manual effort. Thus, food delivery software gives a much-required push to make a business more productive and scalable.

· Providing promotional features: Food delivery software provides restaurants with the opportunity to gain more customers and increase their cart value. The availability of promotional tools like coupons, banners, and discounts in the food delivery software helps restaurants create them with ease for attracting customers to order more and convert them into their regular and loyal ones.

· Real-time order tracking: Customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance for any company to keep itself afloat. Losing customers means losing sales and ultimately business. Therefore, food delivery software is equipped to provide customers with the convenience of tracking down their orders live on their ordering app. This prevents customers from calling the restaurant or the delivery agent to know the status of their order.

· Helping scale beyond boundaries: Expansion is the dream of any business but to reach the same it needs to tackle the hurdles along the way. One such hurdle is the limited scalability option provided by some of the food delivery software. The platform starts to become unstable once the number of orders starts increasing therefore, to overcome the same, advanced food delivery software comes up with the ability to cope with this issue. They provide the option of receiving unlimited online orders without any glitches in performance.

Future of online ordering

Through the points mentioned above, we can see how food delivery software has turned out to be a boon for both the customers as well as the food outlets dealing with online ordering and delivery. Revenue in the online food delivery industry is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022–2027) of 13.68%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$1.45tn by 2027.

As technology continues to grow in the form of improved internet services, advanced artificial intelligence, and more human-like robots, customers will receive enhanced convenience while ordering food online and getting it delivered to their doorsteps.