data.ai (formerly App Annie), the first unified data AI company, today released its 2022 State of Food and Drink on Mobile Report. Powered by App IQ, the industry’s first comprehensive taxonomy, the report found that time spent on food and drinks apps has grown 65% YoY globally in the last year.
Closer to home, Southeast Asia is also drumming up an appetite for Food & Drink apps. Growth rates have skyrocketed in countries including Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. In Indonesia, for instance, the time spent on Food & Drinks jumped nearly fivefold to 423 million hours as compared to the past year.
The report also found that global downloads of Food & Drink apps hit 1.7 billion during the last year, ending March 2022, up nearly 10% YoY. Other highlights include:
- In terms of Food & Drinks app downloads in Southeast Asia, Indonesia saw the largest growth with a nearly 88% YoY increase as compared to the other three countries – the Philippines (+48%%), Singapore (+10%), and Thailand (+25%).
- Besides Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines have taken the #6 and #7 spots when it comes to the total time spent on Food & Drink apps across the globe, up 70% and 180% respectively.
- Malaysia (+130%), Vietnam (+150%) and Singapore (+145%) have also made it to the list of top 25 global markets by time spent, signalling growth opportunities for the region as more Southeast Asians take their food & drinks ‘more seriously’.
- We are also seeing the emergence and expansion of new local players and overseas competitors such as Grab, foodpanda, McDonald’s and more in the region which allows consumers to easily access their favourite food and drinks stores.
“Growth in Food & Drink downloads indicates the market is ripe for user acquisition, but competition is heating up. Growth in total sessions highlights that consumers are forming habits and relying on these apps more than ever to access appetizing food — restaurant-quality or home cooking ready — at the tap of an app,” said Lexi Sydow, Head of Insights at data.ai.
App IQ allows for analysis of in-app features. Of note, data.ai found that apps that offer consumers the option to choose a “Recurring Order” feature, such as HelloFresh and Instacart, may have unlocked one key to driving engagement and retention.