Opinion: Signed, sealed, delivered

Recent tie-ups with Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg have made for highly engaging TV spots; with Millennials and Gen Z driving the demand for food delivery services, Just Eat was wise to tailor its recent Katy Perry ad for TikTok.

Just Eat has held onto its title as the UK’s Most Loved food delivery brand in 2023 – but its rivals are catching up! The silver medal goes to Uber Eats and the bronze to Deliveroo, followed by Pizza Hut Delivery then Foodhub. While it’s the same top three as last year – and the year before – the difference in brand love between Just Eat and its closest competitors is smaller than in 2022.

Why is this category so stable?
Some speculated food delivery apps struggled to maintain momentum after the pandemic, when they were our only ‘eating out’ option, but Savanta’s data shows they’ve been largely resilient to any market volatility. It surely helps that they can grow portfolios so efficiently, adding new restaurants to their platform without needing to fund large physical expansions. Also keeping their costs down are lower overheads, at a time when many businesses are struggling to pay their commercial rent.

But arguably the main reason is that Just Eat et al provide a win-win service. They earn a percentage of each order, but each restaurant they partner with significantly broadens their reach, via a delivery service most of them didn’t have before.

They give us whatever we want, whenever we want it. A wide range of cuisines, meals and price points are available at the touch of a button. And as consumer opinion changes, it’s easy for these platforms to adapt accordingly – using data analytics to gauge customer preferences, make improvements and add personalised recommendations or offers.

When flavour meets flair
Since the top three all provide a strong service and extensive range of food options, factors inspiring Brand Love may well be down to the brands’ respective identities. For relatively young brands, they have incredibly high awareness scores – 95.9% for Deliveroo – no doubt driven by a distinctive marketing approach. The unmistakable teal-blue colour consistently adorns its billboards, effectively embedding the brand image in the minds of consumers. In fact, this pervasive presence makes it near-impossible for the brand to fade from customer recall.

But when it comes to attention-grabbing advertising, did somebody say Just Eat?
In recent years, its tie-ups with Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg, Love Island stars and world-class footballers have created highly engaging TV spots. Gen z and millennials are driving the demand for food delivery services, so Just Eat was wise to tailor its recent Katy Perry ad for TikTok.

The song quickly became a TikTok sensation, with creators across the world using the viral sound to craft their own renditions. What’s important is that a large portion of these creators belong to young generations and have young followers, which precisely matches Just Eat’s target demographic. Considering the campaign’s success, it’s likely we’ll see another music partnership in the future – and we’re itching to find out who will be serenading us on take-outs.

As it stands, Just Eat is the rightful king. Uber Eats and Deliveroo will no doubt hope to catch up next year, though they need not fret excessively. The UK is enjoying a strong, stable relationship with food delivery services. Long may it last.

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