Facebook Inc. announced the launch of new “Order Food” feature for mobile application and website in the United States.

United States: Facebook Inc., a US based social media and networking company, launched new feature, enabling users in the United States to order food directly through mobile application or website. Orders for pick-up as well as home delivery can be easily placed by browsing through local restaurants listed in the Explore menu of Fb app.

The company has reportedly partnered with multiple players in the US food ordering services such as EatStreet, Delivery.com, DoorDash, ChowNow, Olo, Zuppler and Slice. Moreover, Facebook is working with local as well as national restaurant chains including Papa John’s, Wingstop, Panera, Jack in the Box, TGI Friday’s, Denny’s, El Pollo Loco, Chipotle, Five Guys and Jimmy John’s in an effort to provide its customers with a range of options to choose from. The feature is well tested and successfully available throughout the country on iOS, Android and desktop.

TechSci Research depicts that the strategic move by Facebook as a facilitator instead of a contender in US Online Food Business might suit to the online food ordering & delivery ecosystem of India as well.  

The increasing penetration of internet is influencing the consumers to reach informed decisions by means of reading reviews, researching posts, etc. on social networking sites. As a result, the robustly growing India Foodtech market is expected to provide a perfect breeding ground for upcoming online food ordering business platforms by Facebook, Google, etc.

According to the recently published report by TechSci Research, “India Foodtech Market, By Operation Type, By Source of Order, By Payment Method, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2011 – 2021”, the foodtech market in India is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 12% during 2016 - 2021. Over the last couple of years, the country’s foodtech market has been witnessing huge fund inflows from domestic as well as foreign investors. On the basis of operation type, the market has been segmented into two categories, namely, food aggregators and restaurant based.

Among these categories, restaurant based segment dominated the overall market in 2015, and the segment is anticipated to maintain its dominance over the next five years as well, owing to consumer loyalty and frequent cashbacks/discounts offered by the companies.

In 2015, Cash on Delivery was the most preferred mode of payment among Indian consumers. Moreover, web based source of ordering dominated the India foodtech market in 2015 as it offers seamless customer experience in terms of ease of ordering, choosing alternate payment options and order tracking.

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