As the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to stay indoors, they turned to their devices to manage their lives. One of the ways many people learned to cope was through food.Here are a few ways mobile apps changed the way people ate in 2020:
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More People Ordered in
Just about everyone turned to meal delivery apps to order mealsfrom their favourite restaurants during the pandemic. In fact, the financial website MarketWatch says that the pandemic doubled business for food delivery apps. For many eateries following shelter-in-place orders, meal delivery apps were the only way to stay in business.
Apps from Uber Eats, DoorDash, GrubHub, and Skip the Dishes used predictive analytics to help restaurants modify menus, food couriers navigate traffic, and customers make informed choices. They also used mobile technology to offer contactless delivery and improve safety.
However, it seems like only customers and delivery app companies benefited from the crisis — restaurants complained that their delivery partners squeezed them with high profit margins and food couriers said they were left with little after subtracting operational costs.
In light of these issues, experts say that there’s plenty of room for entrepreneurs to capitalize on the food delivery market with assistance from the right Android app developerin order to tap into a market of 3 billion Android users worldwide. A food delivery app that satisfies all parties involved could overshadow its competitors.
Grocery Delivery Apps Spiked in Popularity
Grocery delivery apps were also used more frequently by nervous shoppers who wanted to avoid breaking physical distancing protocols. Interestingly, grocery delivery businesses like Cornershop used Machine Learning (ML) to help frequent customers select their groceries.
More People Took Photos of Their Meals
Not only did people eat more, but they took photos of their meals to share with their families, friends, and followers on social media pages like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You could say thatovernight, mobile phone users turned into amateur food bloggers.
Foodies relied on sophisticated photography apps that used artificial intelligence (AI) to accentuate the photos their meals by adjusting the lighting, colouring, and backgrounds of their pictures.
Nutrition App Downloads Grew Rapidly
As the pandemic crisis grew deeper, many people turned to technology to stay healthy and counter the lack of physical activity.
- MyFitnessPal: Boasting over 11 million foods in its database, MyFitnessPal made it easier for its userbase of 180 million people to track their calorie intake, keep up with nutrition goals, and log their meals. The app also kept its users motivated with advice, tips, and support around the clock.
- MyPlate Calorie Counter: Livestrong’s award-winning nutrition app helped people track their food and log their workouts during the pandemic. Its users praised the app for its in-depth analytics and caloric breakdowns.
- SuperFood – Healthy Recipes: This app helped users cook healthy meals with recipes that featured superfoods. The app even has a cooking mode that keeps the phone active for a user when they’re cooking.
In 2020, more people ordered in, ate healthier, cooked their own meals, and turned into food blogging superstars in their own rite. With the COVID-19 virus still spreading, mobile apps will continue to play an influential role in the way people eat in 2021.