2010 TRENDS
Research by Emer McCormack, Marketing Manager of Just Eat Ireland Ltd
There is no doubt that the economic recession of the past years has changed the restaurant industry dramatically. There has been a visible move away from eating out and people are instead opting for takeaways as a lower cost and more convenient alternative.


As a result of this shift in the market, restaurateurs are adapting and finding new ways to reach customers. JustEat provides them with a simple portal through which to access customers and offer them their services. The increasing number of restaurateurs adapting to the growing online market, combined with the shift away from eating out have been two factors which have contributed largely to the growth of JustEat in recent years.

Increased broadband availability and use has also played an important role in the success of JustEat. In 2008, when JustEat launched in Ireland, many parts of the country were still using dial-up internet connections. This often made the process of online ordering frustratingly slow and detracted heavily from JustEat's desire for convenience. The surge in demand for broadband internet connections has benefited JustEat dramatically as we are now able to make ordering online as easier and faster than ever.

We are also reaching a much wider audience now via Smart phones and mobile devices. As Ireland has the highest Smart phone penetration of all
the JustEat countries, we are able to reach a lot of our customers through
their 3G network as well as through our national broadband infrastructure.
We expect to see a rise in custom via 3G networks with the launch of our
mobile site for Android & iPhone, scheduled for the third quarter of 2011.

One of the most visible trends we've indentified in our research is the link between ordering food online and watching reality shows. For example
during broadcasting of The X Factor we experienced high traffic volumes between 7.00pm and 7.30pm, just before The X Factor aired. We also
noticed that most consumers were ordering more than 3 meals at a time, suggesting that they were ordering for a family or large group of friends.
After The X Factor series ended our busiest night reverted to its traditional
spot - Sunday evening.

 
  "One of the most visible trends we've identified in our research is the link between ordering food online and watching reality tv shows."


We also looked at emerging trends in eating patterns and found that consumers seemed to be increasingly ordering healthier alternatives to traditional takeaways. The surge in popularity of Thai food was especially impressive and we expect to see that continue to grow by 10% in 2011.

We also witnessed a rise in orders of Indian cuisine suggesting that people who once would have visited Indian and Thai restaurants are now choosing to save money by ordering online instead.

And finally, a big thank you to everyone who participated in our research. Your feedback has been essential and will guide our development as we continue to strive to provide you with the best service we can.

 

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