Coronavirus is wiping out the nation; order a pizza and watch Netflix!
Since the figures of Coronavirus (Covid-19) have surged worldwide, subsequently so has online food delivery. In a time where fresh produce is becoming more hard to obtain, and people are confining themselves to their homes, the logical solution is food straight to your front door. However, this also puts the delivery drivers at greater risk.
Increased Home Delivery
There have been spiked numbers of consumers seeking food delivery services rather than eating out. This has been across all major grocery delivery services as well as fast food. Domino’s, Uber Eats, Glovo and Deliveroo are just a few of the companies to have experienced increased demand. Italy, currently the most severely affected European country, is one of Glovo’s biggest markets as more and more of the nation is in isolation. In the wake of Coronavirus, takeaways and fast food sales have risen by 8.7%. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed a 3.6% increase in online non-food sales and a growth of 12.4% for digital streaming and subscriptions such as Netflix.
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Minimal Human Contact
Many food delivery services are opting to introduce a “Zero Contact Delivery” service in order to protect their delivery drivers. This initiated in China during the peak of the outbreak but has now been adopted by many food delivery services worldwide as international cases increase. The service is thought to offer peace of mind both to customers and delivery teams. The zero contact service involves orders being placed on a safe service at the designated delivery location. Once delivered, the customer is informed of the order’s arrival via phone. All orders are prepaid online or by phone. Deliveroo is taking additional precautions to prevent the spread of the virus and further support their delivery team. They are ordering hand sanitisers for riders and creating a dedicated support team per market to provide advice and answer any questions.
Eating In
Consumers are shifting away from restaurants and food establishments as they begin to doubt their safety at this time. Although public health experts advise that restaurants may even be safer than other public spaces such as event venues or public transport, psychologically speaking consumers feel weary about themselves and their food being exposed. In the heavily affected countries, such as Italy, many local food establishments are on the verge of collapse as they are forced to close for business. Delivery services are thought to remain in high demand until the effects of the pandemic calm down.
