China's post-95s consumers become driving force behind food delivery business

Consumers born after 1995 have now emerged as a main driving force behind China's online food delivery business, rising from 35.6 percent of the total in 2018 to 41.8 percent in 2019, according to statistics from a recent report.

A deliveryman delivers takeaways to the dining hall of a hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 31, 2020. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

Among them, women spent more on breakfasts and afternoon tea, while men spent more on dinners and midnight snacks. Meanwhile, breakfast meal delivery services have become more popular, with the number of post-90s, post-1995 consumers growing most rapidly.

The market size of China's online food delivery business is expected to reach 934 billion yuan ($146 million) in 2021, predicted the report titled "Insight into the Trend of Nutrition and Health in the Consumption of Internet Food and Beverage Delivery".

Despite the fact that time slots for breakfast or dinner continued to be peak hours, more consumers have begun purchasing food delivery services at any time of the day, indicated another report entitled "The Development Analysis Report of China Food Delivery Industry from 2020 to 2021".

This phenomenon can be attributed to many factors, such as greater varieties of food that can be delivered, faster delivery times, and restaurants’ longer business hours. Even during Spring Festival, also known as Chinese New Year, the most important holiday in the Chinese calendar, more people started to take to meal kit delivery services, instead of sticking to the old tradition of cooking by themselves at home.

It is also interesting to note that consumers of different ages have different preferences for delivered food. The post-90s consumers prefer sweet potatoes and vegetables, while the post-70s tend to go for meat, aquatic products and eggs. Those born after 1990 and 1980 enjoy milk, beans and nuts more than their post-70s counterparts.

Furthermore, women prefer aquatic products, vegetables, fruits and nuts, which are healthier and more recommended by dietary guidelines, while men would rather have meat and fried potatoes.