F&B apps still booming in SEA, with Grab leading the charge: research

Users in Southeast Asia have become more pressed for time, resulting in a growth surge for F&B apps with Grab leading the charge, research from Data.ai (formerly App Annie) showed.

Launched  today, Data.ai’s 2022 State of Food and Drink on Mobile Report noted that Indonesia saw the largest uptick in F&B app downloads in the region, nearly 88% year on year compared to the Philippines (48%), Thailand (25%), and Singapore (10%).

Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore are also among the top 25 global markets in terms of time spent on F&B apps, indicating the growth opportunities in the region.

With Southeast Asia’s appetite for food delivery, Grab has been the top food and drink app worldwide in terms of average monthly active users since the first quarter of 2021. Foodpanda, another regional player, consistently ranked third during the same period, only losing its spot to Zomato to come in fourth in the first quarter of 2022.

Photo credit: Data.ai

Indonesia grew by the biggest margin, up 380% compared to a year ago. But India still tops the chart by the sheer amount of time spent by users on F&B apps, which grew 80% during the same timeframe.

According to the report, the time users spent on F&B apps increased 65% year on year worldwide, with global downloads hitting 1.7 billion at the end of March 2022.

Data.ai also found that a “recurring order” feature could be a key to driving engagement and retention for F&B apps.

The growth in food and drink downloads indicates that “the market is ripe for user acquisition, but competition is heating up,” Lexi Sydow, Data.ai’s head of insights, said in a statement. The surge in total sessions highlights that “consumers are forming habits” and that they are “relying on these apps more than ever.”

See also: Why SEA’s food bots are outshining Silicon Valley at the table