Rise of Online Delivery Culture

June 17, 2022, Ryan Gabriel Garcia

Since Covid 19 plagued the world from 2020 and governments have issued pandemic
regulations limiting the masses' movement therefore most of the time confining them to their
own homes. Of course, people still need material goods, especially food and water in order to
survive. There comes up the topic online shopping/delivery. It is a business venture that rose in
its sales in these times of domestic isolation. In the Philippines for example, according to Global
Data UK (2021) the number of online sellers increased from 1,700 in March 2020 to 93,318 in
January 2021. When we look at the US, before COVID-19, projections showed the online food
deliveries accounting for just 9% of the US restaurant market in 2021, but the pandemic helped
the industry grow by 4% and 60% of people in the US now order delivery or takeout at least
once a week (Galov, 2022). Those were just to give some perspective.

Now what can we observe in this phenomenon in the eyes of culture? There is a multiplicity of
ways to go about this. It is noted that this is the case of a fearful concerning the risk of being
infected by the virus. A statistic conducted stated 54% answered that they engage in online
delivery services to limit social contact until being vaccinated or unless the pandemic dissipates
completely (Statistica Research Department, 2022). This is an incredibly understandable reason
for the rise of online delivery culture just to avoid infection. Just to assure individuals an added
layer of safety to their transactions they even have "hands off" delivery. By leaving the
customer's order on the doorway of their residence then stepping back to a safe distance.

Laziness is also a possible factor for this. "Democratizing the right to laziness" some have
humorlessly put it in the Guardian in an article by Wallop (2022). Yet convenience is also a
motivation for people to engage in this. Why not? To many it is more convenient to have food
delivered than go out/or get ingredients to make your own food. Also, on the internet there
comes about videos of the stereotypes concerning online shoppers which is relatable to a
sizeable amount of people. Like Jordindian's video wherein we have shoppers who may be
"shopaholic" having an addiction to spending, the "paranoid" one who must go to many lengths
just for sanitary security, "one direction" a delivery person's worst nightmare because these
types giving incredibly confusing directions etc (Youtube, 2022).

References:
Galov, N. (2022, April 6). 15 Appetizing Online Food Ordering Statistics for 2022. WebTribunal. Retrieved
June 17, 2022, from https://webtribunal.net/blog/online-food-ordering-statistics/#gref

GlobalData UK Ltd. (2021, December 9). Online shopping and rising internet penetration to lead
Philippines e-commerce at 17% CAGR through 2025, forecasts GlobalData. GlobalData. Retrieved
June 17, 2022, from https://www.globaldata.com/online-shopping-rising-internet-penetration-
lead-philippines-e-commerce-17-cagr-2025-forecasts-globaldata/#:~:text=This%20trend%20will
%20continue%20with,to%2093%2C318%20in%20January%202021.

Published by Statista Research Department, & 18, J. (2022, January 18). Philippines: Reasons for Food
Delivery Apps Order Post covid 2021. Statista. Retrieved June 17, 2022, from
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1147540/philippines-reasons-for-increasing-orders-from-
food-delivery-apps-during-covid-19/

Wallop, H. (2021, June 12). 'we are democratising the right to laziness': The rise of on-demand grocery
deliveries. The Guardian. Retrieved June 17, 2022, from
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/jun/12/the-rise-of-on-demand-grocery-
deliveries

YouTube. (2022). Types of Online Shoppers. Retrieved June 17, 2022, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyWlduLMi24&t=571s.