Food Delivery Orders on the Rise in MENA

While many food delivery startups in Europe and the US are on the verge of collapse, in the MENA region the appetite for food delivery continues to grow.

According to the "Digital Transformation in MENA 2022" report, produced by cloud-based payments platform Checkout.com, 53 percent of MENA consumers purchased food online in the past year, with 42 percent saying they are buying food online more frequently this year than in 2021.

Some of the leading players in the region say the industry still has much room to grow thanks to its business model.

Collaboration allows us to innovate effectively and to reach and serve society in its most inclusive sense. These days, one provider doesn’t need to manage all aspects of a consumer experience from A to Z. We all need to work together. This is the death of ownership,

said Ramzi Alqrainy, chief technology officer at The Chefz, a leading Saudi-based food delivery app.

E-commerce is also on the rise in the MENA region. According to the report, 91 percent of consumers across MENA bought products online in the past year, with fashion and clothing making up 46 percent of all online purchases in the region. A fifth of consumers across the region purchased retail products online more frequently than last year, with 33 percent shopping more often for fashion and clothing online.

This rapid growth has become possible thanks to the rise of digital payments and fintech solutions in the region.

The secure, reliable, and fast movement of digital money between individuals, businesses and governments is the engine powering today’s global economy,

said Saeeda Jaffar, senior vice President and group country manager for the Gulf Cooperation Council region at Visa.