The booming on-demand economy has spread across all industries over the last few years. So, the food industry is no exception. The on-demand food delivery app development has become a global trend world-wide. All thanks to COVID-19!

According to a stat, UberEats witnessed a 30% increase in the number of signups for its delivery services in these past months. Furthermore, on-demand food delivery apps like GrabFood and Deliveroo saw a 20% increase in their daily deliveries.

Considering this massive growth, entrepreneurs are making healthy investments in online food ordering software developments. So, I present to you some trends that'll make your food delivery app stand out of the ordinary.

On-Demand Food Delivery App Development Trends in 2021

Following are the trends that on-demand food delivery app owners must be aware of:

1. Trending innovative delivery channels

55% of US adults prefer an easy online ordering system. Here are some easy channels that will trend:

• Order by Tweet

Our favorite Domino's Pizza was the first to introduce this order by tweet trend. To use this, the user first needs to create a profile on Domino's website and then save a default order or the
Easy order.

Next, the user needs to link their Twitter account to Domino's profile. Once linked, users can place an order just by tweeting a pizza emoji on Domino's Twitter account.

Impressive! Isn't it?

Fooji is another marketing platform that harnesses social media's power to generate buzz and improve user engagement in food ordering and delivery services. One of the most successful campaigns they started was SmileWithLays, which garnered 9.8 million impressions and 30.4 thousand mentions.

You can also invest in a similar online food ordering software development and incorporate this feature.

Food ordering and delivery platforms are harnessing social media's power to incorporate trends that millennials or the general audience will embrace.

• Place orders using virtual assistants

The popularity of virtual assistants continues to grow with the addition of new and exciting features regularly. Just as it quickly realized an opportunity with Twitter, Domino's used Facebook Messenger optimally by introducing its Pizza robot called Dom. This bot can take orders, inform customers about coupons, and share the latest offers with customers.

Retail software solutions see it as a massive change in the on-demand app development industry.

GrubHub works with Amazon's virtual assistant: Alexa. Customers can place an order for any of their last three purchases. Once a customer tells Alexa what they would like to order, the action is executed, followed by an announcement about the estimated delivery time.

• Order using smartwatches

The smartwatch market is booming, and several manufacturers have created strategic ties with some of the major food ordering and delivery companies. Domino's released the first smartwatch app for Android watches.

The app was a success as it drastically simplified the ordering process. Since then, many brands have followed. We have smartwatch apps that allow customers to place orders and track the delivery on their wearable devices.

• Order using smart TVs

With new and improved televisions, customers can now order food directly from the house's largest screen. Papa John's is a good example. Customers can use Apple TV to open the full Papa John's menu, customize a pizza, view their favorites, order history, and payment the same way they would from their mobile app. Additionally, customers receive special discounts for every order placed through Apple TV.

Samsung Smart TV also has a built-in app called TVtakeaways, which allows users to order food from nearby restaurants from their television screens.

• Order from the comfort of your cars

Pizza Hut made it possible to order food in cars. The company partnered with Accenture and Visa and created an in-car pizza ordering system. Visa's checkout process was integrated into the car's dashboard, which meant that drivers could order via voice commands without taking their hands off the wheel.

2. Modern delivery options

From the earliest days, a dedicated delivery team has been critical to the online food ordering and delivery business's success. However, many brands see it as an "unreliable dependency" in the long term.

There is room to optimize the delivery process both in terms of speed and profitability. We are witnessing the efforts being made to develop new delivery channels: robots and drones.

• Delivery with Robots

With the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), we now have access to autonomous cars. We are on the way to developing robots that will reach their full potential in the future. JustEat and Starship Technologies have developed moving pavement droids to deliver food to their customers in the UK.

The six-wheeled droid can work at a speed of 4 miles per hour and deliver orders within a 10-mile radius. To navigate the location, the droids use GPS signals and cameras. Customers can collect their orders by entering a verification code.

• Delivery with Drones

Drones were first used to deliver tacos in the San Francisco area using a Tacocopter. Burrito Bomber followed this in 2012.

Domino's drone trial was completed in 2016 when it delivered two pizzas to a New Zealand couple in less than 5 minutes.

The on-demand food delivery app development needs to be done keeping in mind these future possibilities.

3. Upcoming niches

Having all kinds of restaurants on one online food ordering and delivery platform is the traditional way to achieve maximum profitability. However, there are emerging platforms that cater to providers in a specific niche. For example, Food Nerd, MamaSezz, and VegReady only have vegan restaurants.

Using this approach enables delivery startups to virtually eliminate all entry barriers and differentiate them from the competition. For food ordering and delivery business owners, you need to be aware of the niche platforms that are gaining traction:

Food waste applications

The statistics on the amount of food wasted are grim. Every year, a third of the world's food goes to waste. But this has paved the way for food waste applications to feed the poor and reduce food waste.

Applications for virtual kitchens

A virtual restaurant (also known as a ghost restaurant, online-only restaurant, or dark kitchen) is a food service business that serves customers exclusively through phone ordering or online food ordering. UberEats' concept of virtual kitchens is an excellent example of how the food ordering and delivery market was at the forefront of innovation. The idea is that restaurants can offer meals from virtual or dark kitchens that do not have a full store presence.

Restaurants can appear on Uber Eats as a virtual kitchen. For example, a home bakery does not have a restaurant/cafe to serve its customers, but it can appear on Uber Eats and serve customers by taking orders online.

The virtual kitchen concept is useful for the entire food delivery industry. While a local restaurant can offer meals that are not listed on the designated store menu and save your operating cost, UberEats can earn your customers' loyalty by delivering food that is hard to find in your area.

4. Cryptocurrency orders

By using cryptocurrencies to order, it is possible to improve the customer's food ordering experience. They are not limited to a particular payment option and complete the transaction using cryptocurrencies.

The growing popularity of blockchain technology has found appeal in the online food ordering and delivery vertical.

As a result, we have been presented with a new phenomenon: cryptocurrency ordering, which involves ordering food or takeout using cryptocurrencies!

Some notable examples are Feastly, Takeaway.com, Papa John's Pizza, and Lobster Gram.

The plausible argument in favor of food order cryptocurrencies is that they can eliminate financial fraud risks and provide a hassle-free shopping experience. But food ordering and delivery platforms need to make sure they support as many cryptocurrencies as possible to encourage more customers to order food through their app.

That's All Folks!

As discussed earlier, this is the crunch-time in the online food industry, and these emerging trends are taking the competition to another level. The technology is improving day by day, and the primary goal is to provide customers with the tastiest, freshest, and most affordable food quickly.

If you are in the food industry or are looking to invest in an on-demand food delivery app development, get in touch with a top mobile app development company in India and give your business the tastiest success.

Till then, that's all, folks!