Enhancing the Just Eat Experience: Solving the Collection-Only Confusion
In the world of food delivery, convenience is king. Yet, a small but significant issue has emerged for some Just Eat customers: accidentally selecting restaurants that offer “collection only” when they’re looking for delivery. This seemingly minor mishap can lead to frustration, wasted time, and a less-than-ideal first impression of the platform, particularly for new users.
The Problem at Hand
For a minority of Just Eat users, the process of ordering food can take an unexpected turn. While browsing for delivery options, they inadvertently select restaurants that are collection-only, only to realise their mistake at the basket stage or worse, after placing the order. This scenario disrupts their experience, causing unnecessary inconvenience as they scramble to find an alternative that meets their needs.
This issue is more pronounced among first-time users, with 5.3% encountering a bad ordering experience on their initial try. This figure gradually decreases with repeated use, suggesting that familiarity with the platform reduces the likelihood of such mistakes. However, the fact remains: Just Eat is predominantly known for delivery, and most users come to the platform expecting to find restaurants that deliver directly to them.
The Data Speaks
When we look at the numbers, the disparity between collection and delivery is clear:
Collection Orders: 3.8% bad order rate
Delivery Orders: 2.8% bad order rate
Order Cancellations: 1.5% of all collection orders are canceled, with 31% of these being replaced by delivery orders.
From January 1st to March 30th, 2020, this issue translated into 5,753 canceled orders, an average of 64 per day. This is not just a minor inconvenience; it’s a pattern that needed addressing.
What Customers Were Saying
Customers voiced their concerns and suggestions clearly:
“Just Eat is known mostly for delivery, but some customers prefer to collect.”
“It would be better if you could filter by whether it’s delivery or collection only.”
“I think you should click delivery or collection before going to the basket.”
These comments highlight a common theme: users want to have the option to filter out collection-only restaurants to streamline their experience. While Just Eat does offer both collection and delivery, the overwhelming preference is for delivery, as it fits the expectation of convenience that many customers seek.
Understanding the Appeal of Collection
While delivery is the preferred option, there are scenarios where collection holds appeal:
Cost-Saving: No delivery fee, no minimum order, and no obligation to tip make collection an attractive choice for budget-conscious customers, especially for smaller orders like coffee or breakfast.
Convenience: For those on the go, picking up food on the way home or when the restaurant is nearby is seen as more convenient.
Time-Saving: Collection often allows customers to skip the queue, especially when the order is placed and paid for in advance.
More Choice: Collection opens up more restaurant options, particularly those that don’t offer delivery in certain areas.
The Core Ordering Need
At the heart of the issue is the simple desire for food quickly, conveniently, and at the right quality. Whether a customer opts for delivery or collection often depends on the context of their day, but the need for a seamless, hassle-free ordering experience remains constant.
Customers want to be confident that the restaurant they select will offer their preferred method of receiving their meal, without any surprises along the way.
“How might we allow customers to feel confident that the restaurant they choose will offer their preferred method of receiving their takeaway throughout their journey?”
Our Vision
By addressing this question, Just Eat can refine its user interface and ordering process, ensuring that customers, especially first-time users, have a smooth, frustration-free experience. Introducing clear filters, emphasising delivery options upfront, and educating users about their choices can help align their expectations with the reality of what’s available.
This approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also strengthens Just Eat’s reputation as the go-to platform for food delivery, catering to users’ needs with precision and care.
Our future vision for delivery mock-up
Our future vision for collection mock-up
Lean experimentation
To maximise our resources and avoid unnecessary time, money, and effort, we focused on developing a lean experiment to test our initial hypothesis. We believed that giving customers the option to choose delivery or collection before browsing restaurant menus would create a more seamless and intuitive experience, ultimately reducing the number of bad orders.
Simpl experiement to validate or in-validate our initial hypothesis
The results of our A/B test confirmed our approach and also indicated a 5% increase in collection orders. This boost appears to be driven by higher conversion rates during breakfast and lunch, where pickup is particularly popular.
Although exact figures aren’t available, we noticed a clear shift towards Marketplace restaurants. This shift alleviated pressure on the driver network, leading to greater efficiency. Additionally, with most Restaurant Delivery Service (RDS) restaurants not offering collection, Non-RDS restaurants experienced a significant rise in conversions.
Overall, this move towards Marketplace restaurants not only streamlined the network but also enhanced profitability in the UK market.