COVID-19 Crisis: Online Food Delivery Challenges and Their Solutions

The COVID-19 lockdown has hampered people's ability to travel between countries. It has also resulted in behavioural shifts among consumers, who are limiting their travels outside the home and increasingly attempting to preserve household hygiene by restricting what enters their homes.

The number of food delivery app downloads has increased since the bulk of food courts have locked off their traditional dining rooms to the public. This rapid expansion has created chances for companies in the online food market to prosper.

Important Trends You Should Know

Some of the important trends that you should know about food ordering apps.

• According to Business Wire, the global online meal delivery services market will reach $192.16 billion in 2025, growing at an annual rate of 11%.
• According to a poll done by the National Restaurant Association, after the pandemic, 68 percent of Americans would choose to get takeout from restaurants.
• By 2024, the number of people using food delivery services around the world is predicted to reach 1,589.3 million.

Challenges Faced by the Food Delivery Businesses Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Challenge 1: Upholding Safety Standards

Customers may have reservations about food delivery firms' safety standards as the dread of Coronavirus spreads over the world. Following the safety rules in all steps of the delivery cycle, from packaging the food to delivering it to consumers, could be difficult for food delivery app services.

Challenge 2: Changing Order Preferences

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers' dietary patterns have shifted dramatically. Food delivery businesses may find it difficult to alter menu items on a timely basis in light of changes in client order preferences, dietary patterns, and nutrient intakes.

Challenge 3: Adopting Multiple Delivery Options

Adding various delivery options and updating existing app capabilities to a food delivery platform could be costly and time-consuming. Additionally, food delivery companies must provide additional training to delivery staff regarding the new food delivery technique and safety rules.

Essential Features to Include in Your Food Delivery App to Tackle COVID-19 Challenges

Here are the essential features that you must include in your food ordering apps.

1. Delivery-Safe Menu Items

To keep oneself protected from sickness, you must eat fresh and nutritious foods. Consider including a delivery menu in your food delivery app that only includes items that can be refrigerated and reheated without affecting the quality of the food.

2. Multiple Delivery Options

Make sure you include additional delivery choices in your apps, such as contactless deliveries and curbside pick-up, to increase the number of ways customers may obtain their meal. In these critical times, providing a variety of delivery options to your clients will go a long way toward minimising the spread of the virus and promoting social distancing.

3. Awareness Notifications

Make sure you include additional delivery choices in your apps, such as contactless deliveries and curbside pick-up, to increase the number of ways customers may obtain their meal. In these critical times, providing a variety of delivery options to your clients will go a long way toward minimising the spread of the virus and promoting social distancing.

4.Cashless Payment Methods

To allow cashless transactions, include online payment mechanisms in your food delivery app development. Coronavirus transmission could be facilitated by the exchange of cash. Provide your consumers with a variety of payment alternatives, such as credit or debit cards, e-wallets, and net banking, to make transactions as simple as possible.

Restaurant Management Tips for Restaurateurs to Overcome COVID-19 Challenges

Inform your restaurant's personnel about the precautions that must be taken to avoid contracting the virus.

To limit employee transmission, implement the following workplace controls:

• Social distancing
• Temperature monitoring
• Face masks are a compulsion.
• Cleaning and disinfection on a regular basis
• To avoid cross-contamination, keep raw and cooked foods separate.
• Sanitize and wash utensils with hot water.
• Help customers maintain proper infection control by:
• Salad bars, buffets, and beverage services should all be discontinued because they all require customers to use common utensils or dispensers.
• Developing strategies to encourage optimum eating spacing.
• Customers are being discouraged from bringing their pets to the eatery.

Also Read: HOW TO CREATE A FOOD DELIVERY APP LIKE UBEREATS, GRUBHUB, DOORDASH, OR DELIVEROO?

Effective Tips to Boost User Engagement for Your Online Food Delivery Business

Here’s the list of tips that will boost user engagement for your online food delivery app business.

1. Use product badges to assist users in making educated purchasing decisions.

Customers may be better served if badges with offers and discounts, reviews, and anticipated delivery times are placed on food items. Product badging will not only help customers identify things more quickly, but it will also increase your sales volume and revenue.

2. By sending push notifications to your consumers, you can keep them informed about changing delivery times and policies.

Keeping your business afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic requires more than just food items and great menus. To keep your clients involved in your online meal delivery portal, provide them with current information about your restaurant's operating working hours and delivery policies.

3. Encourage your consumers to share the content of your meal delivery portal on social media.

On social media platforms, people enjoy interacting with photographs of delicacies. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, organising photo-sharing contests could be the most effective approach to expand corporate reach.

Inviting your guests to participate in such contests and rewarding them with prizes and vouchers for sharing the finest photos of your restaurant's culinary products is a great way to keep them coming back.

CONCLUSION

So, that’s a wrap-up to the online food delivery app challenges and their solutions!

To compete in this highly competitive sector, entrepreneurs must overcome the online food delivery hurdles described in the blog post. Despite the fact that the online food industry's future appears bright, now is the ideal time for startups and established companies in the market to establish an online meal delivery platform in order to grow their businesses.

Looking for the best food delivery app development company? If so, look no further than Appicial!