Ipsos Trends-to-the-Table Survey finds out why Urban Indians order in

Taste and quality of food determine patronage; Ordering-in peaks for dinner, most

A syndicated survey that unmasks consumer behavior, motivations and choices, while Ordering-in Food

New Delhi, Feb 04, 2020:  According to a new syndicated survey by Ipsos, titled Trends to the Table, top motivations for Ordering-in Food are the desires for Change in taste & the need to uplift spirits (cheer up) (38%) and an excuse for Avoiding Cooking (26%). Other reasons cited include Special Occasion (17%), Missed meal (10%) and  Catch-up with friends (9%).

“Trends-to-the-Table survey findings will be useful to marketers and all stakeholders in the F&B Industry as it decodes consumer motivations and choices while ordering-in and how marketers and logistics partners can target customers better, “ said Sreyoshi Maitra, Head of Shopper Insights & Executive Director, MSU (Market Strategy & Understanding), Ipsos India.

Ordering-in unmasked – starting point, shortlisting, patronage

How does it start? The survey shows how consumers go about the entire process of choosing. 

The restaurant choice, for instance, while ordering-in is largely dictated by the type of cuisine (37%) and deals (36%). , and other factors like ordering for whom – oneself, family or friends (12%), occasion (9%) and service/ speed of delivery (6%), too have some sort of bearing, while zeroing in on the restaurant.

Next, we would think that the Indian consumers are highly promiscuous when it comes to choosing restaurants and keep flitting from one restaurant to another! Wrong. The survey on the contrary shows, 82% customers tend to stick to tried and tested restaurants and restrict themselves to a maximum of 5 restaurants.

Further, patronage of restaurants - loyalty and repeat orders, are defined by the two key factors of Taste of food (23%) and quality (18%).

Meal formats

The survey shows that while ordering-in, à la carte (51%) is the most preferred Meal Format - meal-in-a-box (33%) is huge when further combined with a  combo meal (16%).

“A number of restaurants are providing meals in these formats, infusing happiness in consumers, as it also leads to savings when they choose certain formats like meal in a box or combo meals; à la carte on the other hand works out economical, for large gatherings,” added Maitra.

Ordering-in Peak time

The survey shows that ordering-in peaks for dinner (53%) most, followed by lunch (32%) and it’s somewhat lean for evening (13%) and breakfast (2%).

“Consumers tend to rustle up breakfast at home, to address morning food routine. With McDonald’s breakfast back on grid, we might see some traction there. Also, there is opportunity for more restaurants to leverage the morning slot,” added Maitra.