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In April 2023, the highly-respected retail trade news and analysis outlet Editions Dauvers published the third edition of its "Fundamentals of Click & Collect and E-commerce for Food Retailers". Shoppable recipes featured prominently in this latest analysis of the online food retail market. A few days later, an article by François Lecocq in LSA – France’s leading trade publication on consumer, food industry and wholesale trends – focused on the very latest developments in this type of recipe recommendation.
Two different approaches
In their analyses, Editions Dauvers and LSA Conso have detailed two resolutely different approaches to orderable recipes. The first, adopted by Jow in France, is positioned upstream of online shopping. Consumers select recipes on the Jow app, and can order them if they wish from one of our e-commerce partners. The second, offered by white-label solutions such as Mealz or Innit, is part of the shopping experience. Meal ideas are then offered on the shelves and in a dedicated section of food e-commerce platforms.
An immersive, personalised experience
According to Editions Dauvers, shoppable recipes "offer consumers a genuine service", whilst LSA's correspondent highlights the personalised aspect of the meal ideas proposed by e-commerce sites. These solutions, supported by AI, take into account the make-up of a household, food preferences and previous purchases, along with the seasonality of produce and recipes. Furthermore, they include selection criteria to allow customers to adapt their choices to any of an increasingly wide variety of special dietary needs (vegetarian, lactose free, gluten free, healthy choice etc).
Shoppable content: a tool that builds customer loyalty
As several brands surveyed by LSA Conso have noted, this type of "shoppable content" generates better customer engagement. Among other things, it shortens consumers' session times, thereby removing a number of irritants from their online shopping journey. Auchan Retail France's Director of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Basile Guérin, also notes that shoppable content enlivens the shopping experience and creates breakthroughs "by offering [customers] content that interests them". Editions Dauvers, meanwhile, sees orderable recipes as a "tool for building customer loyalty and boosting basket value". At Courses U, for example, e-tailers have noted an average 20% increase in the 20,000 monthly baskets containing at least one meal idea Mealz. At Chronodrive, the increase is as high as 30% on the 6,000 monthly baskets incorporating recipes Mealz. Similarly, Jow records between 250,000 and 300,000 monthly orders between its various partner sites.
‘Food porn’ and everyday cooking
The LSA Conso article also takes a look at the content of the recipes being offered to shoppers, and analyses how it differs between various sites and platforms. The meal ideas posted on social media may often be very appealing to internet users, but not so easy to cook. Users are bombarded with images of delectable dishes photographed by food lovers and shared on social media – or ‘food porn’, as this popular phenomenon is known. But these sources of culinary inspiration are often complex, and take a lot of time and effort to prepare. On the other hand, the recipe ideas suggested by e-commerce sites are generally better suited to the preparation of everyday meals, and are accessible to cooks of all levels.
A solution to promote healthier eating
According to Editions Dauvers, consumers "find [in orderable recipes] an answer to the age-old question: what are we going to eat this week?". However, according to LSA Conso, the benefit to customers is twofold, since these meal ideas also contribute to better eating habits. In fact, retailers are noticing that orders containing recipes contain more fresh produce, seasonings, condiments and spices. This inevitably contributes to a healthier, more balanced diet, based on unprocessed, unprepared products. As Romain Brulière, an associate at a Hyper U in the Occitanie region, explains: "Orders placed after consulting the Mealz recipes [contain] more raw, fresh produce, which contributes to a healthier diet and also helps consumers manage their budgets better. And I'd rather see more customers in our fresh departments than in the canned and frozen ones."
About Editions Dauvers
Editions Dauvers is a multi-media retail trade news and analysis outlet which has amassed a wealth of knowledge and advice about click & collect and online food retail since 2002. It also organises trade-related events for this sector. Over the years, founder Olivier Dauvers and his business partner, Jean-Philippe Gallet – both agronomists specialised in FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) – have built up a profound expertise in these areas. Today they are recognised as opinion leaders by all of the key players in the sector: retailers, manufacturers and suppliers, including software publishers .
About LSA
LSA or Libre Service Actualité is a long-established weekly trade print magazine – now also published daily online – devoted to news and analysis of trends in the field of diet and nutrition, commerce, consumers and mass-market retail chains. In 2022, LSA had a circulation of 19,000 copies in print, and recorded more than a million monthly visits to its website.
About us Mealz
Mealz inspires consumers with simple, easy-to-make meal ideas, as well as contributing to a healthier, more balanced diet. With 5 ingredients, 5 steps and 25 min preparation time, Mealz recipes fit perfectly into everyday cooking and encourage consumers to use more raw, fresh produce. These meal ideas are personalized thanks to artificial intelligence, and adapt to their dietary preferences.
What's more, they liven up their shopping journey when they shop online, and considerably reduce their session time. For retailers, Mealz meal ideas boost average shopping baskets by an average of 20%, and create a stronger bond with customers. The solution not only generates additional revenue for companies, but also builds customer loyalty.
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