The legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic will be that it brought the entire world to a standstill. Covid-19 is not only a health catastrophe but also an economic catastrophe. This is because it has caused havoc in all the industry verticals.
Almost every business across the world is going through a tough phase. Big multi-national firms have announced layoffs and several small-scale businesses are forced to shut.
In such times, on-demand delivery businesses have emerged as a fortunate anomaly. Yes, in times when all the businesses in the world are facing unprecedented losses, on-demand delivery businesses are witnessing a surge.
But everyone has this one question as to how long will this surge continue? How the on-demand delivery industry will look like in the year 2024.
If you’re also looking for the same answer, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will try to get a glimpse of the future of the on-demand delivery industry for the year 2024.
We will discuss the top on-demand delivery trends that will be prevalent in the coming year. But before that, let’s have a look at the impact of Covid-19 on the on-demand delivery business.
Impact of Covid-19 on on-demand delivery business
Due to lockdowns and social distancing norms, people preferred to use on-demand delivery services over going out of their homes, in fact they still do. Ordering food, buying groceries, delivering parcels, and buying medicines via online delivery has become a day-to-day activity for customers now. And that’s why, on-demand delivery businesses across the globe are witnessing a sudden spike in their overall sales and profits.
According to Apptopia, grocery companies like Shipt, Walmart, and Instacart saw a hike in their daily downloads by 124%, 160%, and 218% respectively. This stats showcases the demand of on-demand grocery delivery.
The food delivery industry is also witnessing a similar surge. In the UK itself, the number of users is expected to reach 42.0 million users by 2029.
The situation in the US is also quite similar. The below graph shows the increase in the on-demand food delivery penetration share of the restaurant market from 2020-2025.
On-demand delivery in 2024 through a few stats
The surge which began after COVID-19 pandemic seems to continue in 2024 as well.
According to a report by Statista, the revenue in the online food delivery market is estimated to reach US$1.20 trillion in 2024.
It is also predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 9.04%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$1.85 trillion by 2029.
Similar to the online food delivery market, the grocery delivery market volume is estimated to be US $0.77 trillion in 2024. It is also anticipated to grow 20% by 2025.
On-demand delivery trends for 2024
On-demand delivery businesses are going through an interesting phase. If businesses succeed to execute the on-demand delivery software well in their regular operations, then they can provide their customers the services of their expectations and can successfully retain them as well.
By following this approach, businesses can leave an ever-lasting impression on their customers. They can even try unique and innovative ways to make their services top-notch in the year 2024.
Let’s have a look at these top on-demand delivery trends for 2024 one by one.
Small meal delivery
Generally, people use on-demand food delivery options when they have to order a substantial meal. However, a trend of ordering light bites and snacks has been observed in the recent past.
And this trend is about to increase in the year 2024. In the coming year, you’ll see manufacturers and restaurants leveraging this trend by extensively promoting smaller meals.
With more and more people moving away from three larger meals per day, the demand for light bites and snack food is bound to increase in 2024. This increase in demand will introduce new delivery options for smaller meals that will have significantly lower delivery fees.
Read More: Top features to consider for building an on-demand food delivery application
Multiple orders from different stores in one delivery
Until now, one could only order food from a single restaurant or place at a time. There were a few third-party delivery companies which offered food delivery from multiple places. However, in that, you had to place orders multiple times to get food from multiple vendors.
In 2024, this scenario can change as third-party delivery companies can expand their service options to enable their customers to make orders from multiple vendors and get them delivered at once.
Increase in on-demand parcel delivery
The concept of on-demand parcel delivery has become quite popular since 2020 all thanks to Covid-19 pandemic. And it’s about to remain the well, in fact it is going to get even more popular in 2024 as well. The on-demand parcel delivery service enables customers to send and receive packages within the city in a matter of a few hours.
To better understand, let’s see a scenario based example: In case you go to the office and find out that you have forgotten your laptop or an important file at home. In such a situation, you can simply use on-demand parcel delivery services to get it to your office. This whole process will only take a few minutes, making a simple, cost-effective and time-saving solution for emergencies.
These services offer the utmost convenience and speedy services to the customers. With on-demand parcel delivery services in place users don’t need to freak out in case if they forget any of the essential items at their home.
COVID-19 safety measures and sanitization
Even if the vaccines introduced in 2021 decreases the rate of infection, COVID-19 safety measures will remain intact for the course of 2021. This is exactly the reason why all the on-demand delivery services will strictly comply with all the COVID-19 measures and sanitization practices.
The contactless delivery is in already in the practice by many on-demand delivery services. And in 2021 we might see many other safety measures. We might see all the delivery agents wearing masks and gloves for the entirety of their delivery course.
Delivery subscriptions
Delivery subscription is another major on-demand delivery trend that will witness a huge rise in the year 2024. The on-demand delivery firms were already offering various incentives and offers to their customers for increasing customer loyalty and retention. And in the year 2024, delivery subscriptions will become the go-to option for the majority of on-demand delivery businesses.
Subscription programs are win-win for both customers and the businesses, as customers enjoy perks like free delivery, reduced price, and many more. On the other hand, businesses can increase their sales and profits.
Conclusion
The on-demand delivery industry is experiencing a surge at a time when the majority of the world’s businesses are facing heavy losses. This is a golden period for all the on-demand delivery businesses to leave an ever-lasting impression on their customers.
This is the period where on-demand delivery businesses can become an inseparable part of their customers’ lives even after the pandemic by offering top-notch delivery services with utmost speed and convenience.
If you’re looking to leverage this surge by starting your own on-demand delivery business or are looking to use your existing resources for on-demand delivery then YelowXpress’s on-demand delivery software is your one-stop solution.
This solution comes with all the cutting-edge features and technologies that can enable you to offer top-notch delivery services to your customers.
Moreover, this solution is also highly reliable and scalable. Due to this, you can manage the rapid increase in the requests with 99% uptime.
So, what are you waiting for? Emerge as a top on-demand delivery business with YelowXpress.
