With Christmas and a variety of other holidays just around the corner, consumers are feeling the stress of getting that perfect gift and cooking a great meal for all their holiday guests. In fact, studies have shown that consumer stress during the holidays is growing every single year.
But lucky for consumers, there are a variety of technological advancements made in the past few years that offer a break from their to-do list. One of those tech trends is the emergence of food delivery services. Once thought to be too expensive or not realistic, the sheer amount of delivery services that have popped up over the past few years have helped to cut costs and make restaurant delivery a part of consumers everyday lives. They have even brought this trend into the holiday season, allowing food delivery services to help complete some of their multi-course holiday meals.
Postmates, one of the most popular delivery services across the nation, has seen this trend up close. To get the inside scoop on this growing phenomenon, they took a dive into their own internal data over the last few years. They also surveyed consumers across the nation to get an idea of why they use these services in the first place. They discovered that food delivery services are being used for a variety of reasons, like sending out for a forgotten ingredient or ordering their Christmas dinner dessert from a local spot.
Restaurant Holiday Delivery at a Glance
Check out the data below for a better look into this new holiday movement:
Postmates had a 95% growth in holiday delivery orders year over year (December 2017 to 2018).
The week of Christmas, delivery orders increased 123% from 2017 to 2018.
Coke, garlic naan, and french fries were the three most ordered items on Christmas Day in 2018.
On Christmas day in 2017, Postmates saw an uptick in orders of two tacos.
From 2017 to 2018, Christmas Day orders rose 175%.
The Top Christmas Day Restaurant Delivery Items
With same-day and next day delivery becoming standard (thanks to companies like Amazon), customers are looking for this same stellar service to be available at all their favorite restaurants as well. So for restaurants, it means there is ample opportunity to expand their delivery services to reach a wider audience. By extending their holiday hours, restaurants can ensure their traditional rush lasts for much longer, as hungry guests look to them for assistance in what was once a traditionally in-house celebration.
Postmates also surveyed 1,000+ consumers to see their food delivery habits, including their most likely orders and frequency. Around 48% of people said they forget an important ingredient for their holiday feast, not realizing it until the day of and having to scramble to find a store that’s open. 10% of those even said that they almost always forget something crucial, meaning that day-of delivery services are more necessary during the holiday season than ever before.
Holiday Food Deliveries Focus on Desserts & Apps
So what do consumers traditionally order? Desserts and appetizers top the list as home cooks look to check a few things off of their to-do list. A few of their respondents even said they have ordered the main course for delivery before, allowing for a relaxing holiday as dinner gets delivered straight to them.
The most wonderful time of the year is going through a transformation, one that restaurant owners can capitalize on if they act quickly. As consumers look to beat holiday stress, it's clear that they will turn to whoever has the cheapest and fastest service. Meaning that the race to offer fast delivery and new options is heating up as restaurants look to beat out their competitors. Throughout the next few years, Postmates predicts that this reliance will continue to skyrocket as tech becomes even more important and convenient, no matter the occasion.