Image courtesy of Mindful Chef
UK-based food delivery service Mindful Chef has seen a huge spike in demand since the outbreak of the virus as consumers become increasingly dependent on food delivery services. The same can be said for fellow UK-based food deliverer Gousto which is expecting to deliver over 380,000 meals across the UK this month.
Founder of Pasta Evangeslists, Allesandro Savelli, a startup that delivers fresh pasta to households across the UK, believes that the current increase in orders is due to people spending so much time on their computers and mobiles and reported to Food Navigator that the conversion rate through laptops has been especially higher during this time.
So why is demand for recipe boxes so high?
As explained by Mr. Savelli, demand is particularly high for these types of services due to the amount of people in lockdown at home. They are now not only increasing in their basket spend but ordering differently, too. People may be ordering more food but for more people. And instead of ordering a few items every week they now order more items than usual every two weeks. It´s also important we remember that they may be gifting food to other members of their family or for those more vulnerable who want to avoid leaving their houses like parents or grandparents.
Pivoting business models & operations
Due to this unexpected spike in demand, recipe box suppliers need to respond fast. This includes increasing staff across the board; Mindful Chef for example have doubled their staff and have created a customer service support team.
Image courtesy of Pasta Evangelists
Pasta Evangelists are training their new staff to deliver contactless free delivery and are employing more hygiene specialists.
Key challenges
Apart from responding fast and increasing staff numbers, what else can recipe box providers do to adapt effectively to new demand?
Mindful Chef reminds us that its important to ensure that suppliers are able to keep up with new demand and Pasta Evangeslists CEO would add that ensuring a safe work environment for staff is also imperative.
Any more advice? Comment below!