Dubai-based 15-min grocery delivery service YallaMarket reveals that the company’s average check has grown by 33% since the first quarter of 2022. To attract new customers YallaMarket is shifting from a discount strategy to focus on increasing the value of the customer’s basket and achieving a more sustainable business model.
In terms of consumer preferences, YallaMarket have detected two tendencies: Dubai residents tend to order more healthy & organic food, but cold beverages remain the most popular choice. According to the company data, soft drinks, chocolate and vegetables take the lead as the most preferred product categories that customers order online via app.
Beverages outsold other popular grocery items, such as water, milk, dairy, vegetables, and fruits — the demand has doubled compared to the first quarter of 2022. People preferred ordering soft and energy drinks during the afternoon to cheer up a little.
Chocolate and sweets are on the heels of beverages as the best-selling category — demand for the category increased by a third. Chocolate bars and cream biscuits are the perfect bite to eat with a hot cup of coffee at the workplace.
At the same time, everyone did their best to stay a bit healthier — vegetables turned out to be the third most popular grocery category after beverages and chocolate. So, according to the company’s data, the number of orders in this category grew by a third. People enjoyed buying tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, carrots, okra, green chilli, and lettuce for cooking salads.
YallaMarket also found out that customers in Dubai absolutely love fruits and it makes bananas, orange mandarins, lemons, blueberries, and strawberries the most popular items in their category. The demand has increased by 35% since the first quarter of 2022. Curious fact: many customers often order fruits in the evening as a way to end the day with a full fridge.
“Super-fast grocery delivery has already become a new normal for the UAE. We constantly analyse the consumers’ behaviour with AI tools and seek new ways to meet consumer needs. For example, we found out that some of our customers are eager to order ready-made food instead of cooking. Thus, we’ve launched the YallaMarket Grab & Go category: jar salads, wraps, granola, chia puddings, various egg dishes, hot and cold coffee drinks, french pastries, etc. Next big steps for YallaMarket will be to develop its own trademark and launch more high-margin categories,” said Leo Dovbenko, co-founder and CEO of YallaMarket.
The top preferred products depend on the area. So, in the Business Bay area customers mostly order energy and soft drinks. In contrast, Marina residents are tea lovers, their most preferred items are a delicious special karak tea with spices and a chocolate croissant. Al Wasl customers tend to have a full breakfast, for which they mostly buy yoghurts and milk.
JLT residents are more into bananas and mandarins, while the Dubai Silicon Oasis customers prefer tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions. Water usually makes the top five most ordered categories, and the JVC residents are the true leaders in buying bottles of the drinking water.
“Flexibility is YallaMarket’s competitive edge. Therefore, our entire team strives to deliver high-quality products to our clients within 15 minutes,” he added.