The food ordering and online delivery app market is growing rapidly in India. Even the novel coronavirus failed to stop the operations of online food and grocery deliveries apps while other businesses were forced to close their operations during the lockdown. The Indian food ordering and delivery market is expected to reach a market volume of US$14,670 million by 2024 at a CAGR of 9.5%. Restaurant food ordering apps have made it possible for restaurants to reach the hearts of millions of customers by delivering food at their doorstep.
Initially, restaurants began shifting from Offline-To-Online and by using the food ordering apps to enable their customers to find the nearest restaurant, operating hours, and basic information. However, with technological advancements and an increase in the number of smartphone users, the restaurants had to adapt to the changing environment. With the help of App development Companies, restaurant owners are building Mobile Apps with the latest features that their customers want. The restaurant food ordering app development companies are now developing apps to enable customers to order food, make payments, receive deliveries or takeaway food, avail offers, and much more.
Moreover, the advent of coronavirus has also made them embrace additional measures and integrate features to practice social distancing and hygienic delivery. For instance, the leading food delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato were among the first ones to introduce no-contact delivery, safety measures, and even delivering groceries and essentials to customers.
With the changing technologies, increased customer demands, and changing trends, there is a constant pressure on restaurants to provide a better service through their online food ordering apps. In this mad race to the top, many restaurant food delivery apps end up failing due to several reasons.
Here are 7 reasons why your Online Food Delivery App may be Failing:
Working on these problem areas can help your online delivery app to get back in the race.
Poor App Design
When it comes to serving your customers through an app, it is extremely crucial for your app to be functioning smoothly. The UI/UX of your app should be great for your customers to have a seamless food ordering experience. The design of your app is the first thing that your customers see and build a perception of your restaurant. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that your app should be visually appealing as well as easy to navigate within.
Imagine a hungry customer who wants to order quickly but is having difficulty in finding his meal on your app. It is certain that you are going to lose this customer to a competitor at that moment of time. That’s when you know that you need to make improvements in the design of your app to facilitate a great user experience. Ensure that you use good resolution images to attract the customers and place the clickable buttons appropriately.
Lack of Advanced Features
Customers are attracted to smart features that provide convenience. If your app uses basic features just to get your app functioning, it is highly likely to fail sooner or later. The most successful restaurant food ordering apps thrive due to the advanced features they use that is powered by emerging technologies. For instance, the AI-powered chatbots instantly address customer queries without them having to wait impatiently. Restaurants have also started to leverage the power of AR and VR to attract more customers. A new concept that is intriguing to restaurants and their customers is the Gamification feature. This feature uses game mechanics to reward users for completing tasks and challenges. The gamification feature enhances customer engagement.
Some of the must-have features on an online food ordering app that can save your app from failing are:
- Digital menu with professional images
- Table reservation
- Multiple payment options
- Offers, coupons, loyalty program
- Social media integration
- Chatbots
- Personalization
- Customer review and feedback
Arrival of Industry Giants
The restaurant food ordering industry has immense potential which is even attracting industry giants to step into this industry. It is difficult to compete with established brands such as Amazon. Firstly, these brands have already established a brand image, and secondly, they have the financial and operational resources to market their apps, overcome competition, and meet market demand. These industry players easily sweep away a major part of the target consumers and leave only a few for the small food delivery businesses. This becomes a reason your restaurant food delivery app fails. However, to sustain this competition, your app should focus on the pain points of customers to be able to service them better.
Inadequate packaging
How often have you ordered food from a restaurant and received spilled food due to the poor packaging quality? Inadequate food packaging that causes spillage makes a hungry customer irate. If your customers aren’t happy with your packaging and food quality, they are bound to uninstall your app from their phones and go to your competitors. Moreover, the customer will provide a negative review and rating for your restaurant which will turn away potential customers as well. Therefore, you need to ensure that not only is the food being delivered fresh and warm, but also the packaging is of good quality that will protect the food and keep it warm till it reaches the customer.
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Back-end Glitches
One of the 7 reasons your restaurant food delivery app is failing may be due to the glitches at the back-end. When such glitches occur, it is possible for the restaurant to not be notified of the order for which the customer is already waiting. These glitches create delivery delays, confusion, and frustration at the customer’s end. If your food ordering app is experiencing any issues at the back-end, it is advisable to get a restaurant food ordering and delivery app development company to resolve them for your business to continue functioning smoothly.
Ignoring Loyal Customers
One of the biggest reasons for the failure of a food delivery business is losing loyal customers to competitors. This usually happens when your restaurant ignores loyal customers and doesn’t provide them exclusive deals, offers, and incentives. The key to retaining customers is by making them feel special. It is important to understand and cater to the needs of your loyal customers.
Inadequate Marketing
Lastly, one of the significant reasons your restaurant food ordering app is failing may be due to inadequate marketing strategies. In this digital era, creating brand awareness and visibility online is important to increase your customer base. A majority of customers prefer using restaurant ordering apps to place direct orders with restaurants. But, if you haven’t done sufficient or adequate marketing, your customers will not be able to find you. Leveraging the power of social media platforms to promote your app and engage with your customers is the most effective marketing strategy.
Conclusion
There can be various reasons why your food ordering app may be failing especially during COVID-19. You need to work on these problem areas as well as introduce new features based on the current trends and customer requirements. COVID-19 has certainly impacted many businesses, however, there’s immense scope for food delivery apps. This is because the pandemic has closed the dining out option for people making them more inclined towards shopping online for groceries and food. Solutions to these 7 reasons of failure can help you establish a brand image for your restaurant food ordering app.
