Takeaway Ordering Trends – 10 Stats to Boost Your Profits

In 2023, KPMG published a deep dive into takeaway consumer spending habits.

Many of their insights are incredibly important and are essential for any takeaway owner to understand.

In this blog, we will break down the most important stats and talk through some of the best steps you can take to help boost your takeaway’s profits.

Takeaway demand has grown

During the pandemic, food ordering (often through third-party platforms like Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo) became extremely common, mostly due to the fact that we couldn’t go outside!

While third-party platforms played a big part in making it second nature for people to order and pay online for food delivery, they’ve also played a part in reducing your profit margins as a result of the large commissions they take per order (anywhere from 15-35%!) – more on how you can scrap commissions and keep profits later.

It’s clear that everyone wanted a tasty treat to brighten up what was an otherwise dreary time, but will this spending persist as the cost-of-living crisis tightens its grip?

Will the cost-of-living crisis slow takeaway demand down?

While, yes, people are cutting back on spending wherever they can, KPMG’s research suggests that our appetite for takeaway is still very high:

• 31% of customers saying they have at least one takeaway a week (58% in London)
• 38% of 18–24-year-olds order a takeaway at least 2-3 times a week
• Families (35–54-year-olds) spend the most, with an average order value of £60

The above stats are fantastic news for takeaways looking to grow. There is still huge demand for food delivery, however it is important to remember that price will become a key deciding factor when customers are choosing who to eat with.

As a result, you need to find a way to become more price competitive.

If you take orders through Just Eat, Uber Eats or Deliveroo, chances are you’ve increased your prices to compensate for their commission charges.

This doesn’t need to be the case. Takeaways that have their own food ordering websites or mobile ordering apps can afford to drop their prices slightly as they’re keeping all the profits. Customers are far more likely to eat with you through your own app at a slightly reduced cost (this is especially important for the 18-24-year-old demographic, who are less likely to have lots of expendable income).

More than anything, customers want value, convenience and choice

Will Hawkley, the Global Head of Leisure and Hospitality at KPMG UK had this to say:

“Leaner times in the takeaway market will require fresh approaches to keep on tempting consumers. Winning propositions will combine quality and value with convenience and choice.”

In essence, you need to make it easy for your customers to order with you time and time again.
You need:

• A branded platform where customers can order at their leisure (an app or website works best for this)
• The ability to edit your menu on the fly, adding/removing items as necessary
• To be able to run promotions, advertising to your customers and encouraging them to buy
• Access to your data, allowing you to contact customers directly (this is especially important if something is wrong with their order and you need to get in touch!)

Are third-party platforms holding you back from growing your takeaway business? Get in touch with our friendly ordering experts at App4. We’re here to talk through what can be done to boost your sales and profits today: 01332 418 573.

Loyalty schemes and pricing are key for ongoing success

Nearly one in five (18%) of customers said that they would sign up for loyalty schemes.
A loyal customer will order from you time and time again. It’s important that you reward them for this; a free menu item or the occasional discount code goes a long way in building a strong relationship with your customers.

It is much easier to encourage repeat orders than to attract new business. Many consumers stick to one or two ‘local hero’ restaurants that they order from regularly. The more loyal customers you can get, the more consistent your income will be (and the faster you can grow!).

Here are some more key stats from KPMG:

• Four in ten consumers (41%) have just one or two ‘local hero’ restaurants they repeatedly order from.
• Younger consumers are more adventurous, with nearly six in ten (59%) of 18–24-year-olds having up to five regular favourites.
• One in seven (15%) stick to known favourites because they have special dietary requirements – and this rises to 26% in London.

This tells us one thing: we are creatures of habit. As a result, it’s important to customise your marketing to suit your audience.

Not all takeaway lovers are the same. You need to understand your audience.

App4 can help with your digital marketing. We do this by looking at who your loyal customers are, identifying their unique demographic (age, geographic location, gender, etc.). We can then help you to reach more of these people and get them ordering directly with you.

For example:

Young people order more often than older people.
People in cites order more often than rural folk.
Men order more often than women (35% vs 25% at least once a week).

By using an App4 app and/or website, you’ll be able to see a clear breakdown of who is ordering your food. Our analytics will help you create a clear strategy around who your marketing should target. We can help with marketing to ensure you attract the right kinds of customers (ones that will order with you repeatedly).

35-40% of takeaways, restaurants and cafés have their own ordering website or app

Many restaurants and takeaways in the UK have realised that third-party platforms such as Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo are only slowing them down.

While picking up the phone is still a very popular method of ordering food (50% of people said they still call to order takeaway directly), 50% of people say that they prefer ordering from apps.
Young people (25-34) are using mobile ordering apps more than any demographic, choosing to order online 65% of the time.

The stats are clear: if you want to succeed now and into the future, you need your own food ordering website/app.

Take back control and boost your profits with an ordering website and app

At App4, we believe that you deserve to keep your profits. We believe that you should be paying zero commissions on your orders. We believe that you should move away from third-party ordering platforms.

We’ve helped 1000s of takeaways, cafés, restaurants and other food & drink businesses to do this, and we’re ready to help you, too.

On average, we:

• Grow orders by 25-30%
• Increase net profit by 20-25%
• Reduce waiting times by 50%+
• Boost staff efficiency by 30%

When you’re ready to unlock the power of having your own takeaway ordering system, give us a call on 01332 418 573. We’re here to answer any questions you may have, and to guide you towards an ordering system that’s right for you and your business.

Alternatively, get in touch here.