Delivery as a Marketing Strategy for Restaurants

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Despite having proven its usefulness and reaffirmed its growth, there are still many restaurants that have refused to join delivery platforms due to their high commissions or because their model simply does not fit with this type of strategy. However, delivery can be a powerful marketing strategy to reach more people, new markets and expand your business.

Delivery was the alternative to survive the pandemic
The coronavirus mainly affected sectors such as the restaurant industry, forcing them to close and subsequently reduce the number of customers in their premises. These and other factors were decisive in thousands of WhatsApp Number Database restaurateurs beginning to see the sale of food at home in a more favorable light. Thousands of businesses joined platforms such as Glovo , Just Eat or Uber Eats during 2020 and so far in 2021, following the upward trend.

What the pandemic has also taught us is that you don’t have to be a restaurant that sells specific products to be able to take advantage of selling food at home. From small establishments to gastronomy figures such as Nandu Jubany with his “Jubany a casa” or Dabiz Muñoz with “GoXO” they have shown that anyone can sell food at home regardless of the business model or the type of food they offer.

A few days ago, while teaching my online class on Delivery Marketing and Dark Kitchen at the Diego Coquillat School, and after explaining how to carry out a market analysis on Geodelivery, I decided to share with my students the case study of the Freshperts Group. In each class we analyze a practical case about a relevant agent in the sector.
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The food delivery market
According to data from Hootsuite 's Global Report , as of January 2021, 10.75 million people in Spain ordered food delivery online and each user spent an average of 102 euros per year, making this market very attractive. Online ordering platforms have managed to find a niche for themselves and are present on the devices of millions of people. The turnover from delivery sales in Spain already exceeds 1.7 billion euros and experts assure that this trend will continue to grow.

Despite these numbers, there are still thousands of restaurants that have not decided to sign up for these platforms. High commissions are the main reason why many do not want to access them without understanding that they will give them a reach that they would rarely achieve organically. There are also those who honestly do not want to get involved in this business and remain firm in their physical restaurant model.

The fight against commissions
This is one of the factors that restaurants take into account the most, but we should not fight against commissions. What we must do is analyze our cost structure and adapt our product and price. A specific menu must be created for these channels to compensate for this commission. We must ensure that we provide additional value to customers that justifies the price difference.



Uber Eats for Business, the new service to conquer company meals.
New business strategies
Taking advantage of this trend , virtual brands began to become popular. This consists of creating new brands in delivery applications and offering completely different products using the same kitchen and optimizing all the restaurant's resources. Likewise, dark kitchens or ghost kitchens became popular. Restaurants focused 100% on delivery, whose kitchen or premises are not accessible. These businesses depend entirely on online sales, demonstrating that delivery is a stable business with the capacity for growth.

Delivery as a marketing strategy
The reach that delivery platforms provide is extraordinary. Despite competing directly with hundreds of restaurants, you will also be sure to be in the right place where potential customers are ready to order without having to invest in ads that do not guarantee a return on investment.

The ideal is to start your foray into the world of delivery through platforms such as Glovo, Uber Eats , etc. and gradually attract these new customers to your online store or your physical location to consolidate and retain them . As you make deliveries and your restaurant is rated better, your brand will rise and you will begin to sell more.