An increasing number of Kenyans now prefer ordering food from kibandas and local street food shops, latest industry reports have revealed.
Food delivery platform Glovo says the company's data on key trends shaping 2022 in the Kenyan market shows a 160 per cent increase in local food orders compared to 2021.
The reports show that the increase of available new kibandas and local street food shops in the app has had a ripple effect and demonstrates that there is a clear preference for local foods such as chapati-beans and rice-beans.
In the last few years, the e-commerce market has evolved from a simple concept of brick-and-mortar retail to a shopping ecosystem that involves smart technologies.
From the data, Glovo has on-boarded over 1,100 kibandas on its app in 2022.
“We are delighted with the results of the Kenyan market in 2022 and we expect to grow in the coming years by understanding our consumer everyday needs,” Glovo Kenya general manager Caroline Mutuku said.
As players from both online and offline retail move towards multi-channel deliveries, there is a reinvention of how customers shop.
Online deliveries are growing rapidly as customers discover convenience on all levels, be it product customisation, mobile-optimised search, quick checkout processes, or hassle-free delivery.
The supermarkets have not been left behind with an increase in orders on the Glovo app to 769 per cent compared to 2021.
The flowers category recorded 140 per cent growth, especially during last year’s Valentine’s Day.
From the insights orders of red flowers skyrocketed and on normal occasions, Mondays have the highest consumption of orders containing flowers across Kenya.
“We aim to be the best and to do this we will keep on-boarding as many merchants on the Glovo app to enhance our multi-category offering and also adapt various developmental strategies to increase our market share,” Mutuku said.
Glovo is present in Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu, Mombasa, Kitengela, Ruiru, Thika, Ngong, Rongai, Karen and Syokimau.
It partners with close to 4,000 businesses across Kenya to enhance the multi-category offering which includes restaurants, groceries, pharmacies, beverages, flowers and Kibanda all delivered to customers’ doorsteps in 40 minutes.
Glovo data report shows that consumers from Karen, Eldoret and Mombasa made the highest tipping amount.
Also, the user that placed the most orders in the country was located in Nairobi and he placed 535 throughout the year.
The top interesting Glovo Express Shipment orders noted from the report include baby boots in a toddler size 8, Teddy bear from Miniso and pillows.
In the food category, Sundays are noted to have the highest number of orders being made around 2pm-3 pm, this could be attributed to the fact that Kenya has a culture of gathering with family and friends around the noted period.
The orders mostly range from different cuisines such as American, Italian, and local food, these include burgers, pizza and Kibanda food.
In a 2021 report by Statista on consumer assessment behaviour, consumers in Kenya spend most in the area of food and non-alcoholic beverages, 53.7per cent of average consumer spending per capita of private households. Digital expenditures as a share of consumer spending per capita were 1.8per cent.
E-commerce revenues were primarily drawn from food, personal care, electronics, toys, furniture, and media as well as fashion. This highly favours Glovo with its multi-category offering.