It’s no stretch to say that apps have radically changed the lives of Canadians. Instead of flipping open the morning paper, you open a news app as you drink your coffee. Rather than ringing your friend on their birthday, you tap the social media app of choice and type a few kind words (and maybe a birthday cake emoji). All the things you once kept tucked away in a drawer – your calculator, camera, calendar and notepad – are safely stored within the confines of a 5.5-inch display.
It should come as no surprise, then, that apps have changed the way Canadians eat as well. Companies are rethinking the way you receive food and make food, teaming with mobile app developers in Toronto to create products that combine smart UX (user experience) with stylish graphic design. The results are apps that make day-to-day life easier and make information more accessible.
Anything, On-Demand: the Rise of Delivery Apps
Delivery apps have perhaps had the most significant impact on Canadians’ eating habits. A study from the University of Waterloo found that the percentage of Canadians who feel pressed for time has risen steadily over the past 25 years. Between work demands, familial obligations and busy social schedules, the average Canadian has a full plate – before they’ve even thought about what’s on their dinner plate.
Delivery apps offered, and continue to offer, a simple solution: anything you want to eat, on-demand. Delivery isn’t a new concept, but it has mostly been confined to a few takeaway standards, like pizza and Chinese food. Delivery apps, like UberEats and Foodora, or the Canadian-made Skip-the-Dishes, grab your grub from almost any restaurant and bring it right to your door.
In 2019, Canadians spent over $2 billion in online food delivery, a number expected to grow 10 percent annually. Figures haven’t yet been released for 2020, but one presumes, in light of the COVID-19 lockdown measures, that Canadians have spent a lot more on food delivery this year. Statista predicts that by 2024, revenue in the Canadian online delivery segment will balloon to US$3.5 billion.
In summary: as a response to time pressure and facilitated by the rise of easy-to-use apps, more Canadians are reaching for their phone when they get hungry.
A Library of Cookbooks at Your Fingers
Although online delivery continues to boom, Canadians are still cooking at home. 42% of Canadians say they eat out more than once a week, which still leaves a comfortable majority toiling over a hot stove from Monday to Sunday.
But even when they aren’t delivering your food, apps continue to influence the way you eat. In 2015, Google published a consumer insights study called “Cooking trends among millennials: Welcome to the digital kitchen.” In it, they report that 59% of 25 to 34-year-olds cook with a smartphone or tablet handy.
Mobile apps like Tasty, Yummly and Epicurious offer what amounts to a whole library of cookbooks, localized in a phone you can prop up against the toaster while you cook.
This unprecedented access to information may be a motivating factor in Canadians’ growing appetite for ethnic food. A Mintel survey of 2,000 Canadians found that 72% turn to international dishes to break up the monotony of mealtime. With easy access to a plethora of recipes via smartly designed apps, it’s easy to see why.
Canadians order more online delivery and cook more with their phones. They respond to time pressure by expediting mealtimes, and they break up the monotony of mealtime by expanding their recipe repertoire. And they do it all through an app.
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