The growth of delivery during the pandemic is a movement with no return. With the entry of new restaurants on the platform – it is estimated that the presence of small and medium-sized restaurants registered on iFood increased by 27% last year – enhancing the experience of our partners, which was already important, became a priority.
This scenario not only impacted the growth of restaurants using delivery as a business arm, but also resulted in new food and drink consumption habits among Brazilians. For restaurants, these habits made it clear that it is necessary to explore new paths beyond in-person service.
With digital advancement, many entrepreneurs needed to readapt their ways of making a profit. iFood understands that not everyone was prepared for this amount of changes in such a short period. Thus, the restaurant digitalization process also raised doubts about how to take advantage of the integration of new technologies with entrepreneurship.
Therefore, the question arises: is technology in restaurants for everyone? When we talk about innovation, it is important to know that it is not just about large businesses, but also for small and medium-sized companies looking to update resources and flows. Getting there, however, requires entrepreneurs to search for digital solutions that connect businesses to consumers in a new market reality. The fact is that technology does not need to be synonymous with high initial investments, especially for those just starting out.
The digitalization of restaurants is also synonymous with job creation. A survey by Fipe (Fundação Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas), commissioned by iFood, indicates that restaurants registered with iFood created, on average, 10,472 jobs per month between 2015 and 2019, while those that do not operate on the platform had a net loss of 5,676 jobs . Furthermore, the average salary of restaurant employees increased after they joined iFood: it went from R$ 1,331 to R$ 1,457 per month.
In this context, the challenge for the largest foodtech in Latin America remains: how to enhance the experience of more than 270 thousand restaurants this year? iFood understands that this is a construction process that has already begun, but that there is still room for improvement.
The recipe, not a secret, that we are following to improve the business is based on three main areas of action. The first consists of offering effective tools and functionalities so that restaurants can operate with quality delivery. On the second front, we seek to empower them so that they can create their own campaigns and conditions to sell; And the third front is based on creating more connection and dialogue to take our relationship with restaurants to a level not yet seen.
These fronts represent a direction of where we want to get to, as we understand that “today” is no longer in the ideal model.
In the pillar of offering effective tools and functionalities, we are implementing projects that truly meet the needs of partner entrepreneurs. An example of this is Vantagens do Chef, a program that offers partnerships for discounts on water resources, energy, waste collection, digital marketing, among several other services and products. In total, there are more than 35 thousand restaurants already using the program, totaling R$5 million in the last quarter.
When it comes to promoting the empowerment of restaurants, the pillar consists of prioritizing the entrepreneur at the forefront of their campaigns. This includes showing how entrepreneurs can use the internet as a showcase for their business, investing in campaigns so they also have greater autonomy to promote their own activities. To increase the visibility and sales of partner establishments, iFood offers Digital Menu, a solution that allows restaurants to digitize and publicize their menu, with its own link, to be published on messaging applications or social media profiles. The functionality also arises in response to the needs of entrepreneurs at this time of digitalization of society.
The last ingredient in the recipe, and one of the most important, consists of establish connections and dialogues with restaurants. We want to act as a platform that – not only connects consumers and restaurants – but also establishes moments of listening, exchange and collaborative construction. In practice, we are opening the doors through processes of dialogue, feedback and opportunities in which we give more voice to restaurants and their representatives – such as associations – to create solutions that actually resolve their pain and concerns.
On a platform with 270 thousand partners, from the most varied profiles like iFood, this listening is a complex task. To advance the dialogue considering the diversity of restaurants that are currently our partners, we are building groups, which already includes a council made up of engaged establishments that want to contribute to making the platform even better.
We believe there is no one-size-fits-all solution. And for that, it's not enough to go with the cake ready, we want to build this recipe together.
