“We needed very little investment and have low risk, as our shop is located on Facebook and the kitchen is in our house. All orders must be paid for before we start cooking,” Ornusa Pukchinda, business owner, told a researcher of the College of Management Mahidol University.

The team was led by a postgraduate student, Chairote Phintukanon. Its consumer survey showed that Facebook was the main interaction channel – 56 per cent of the respondents learnt about food shops and products through Facebook ads or posts shared and tagged by friends, 17 per cent used the Google search engine, and 7 per cent through Instagram.

“We found that 63 per cent of consumers favour an online delivery service because they want to save travel time. Other reasons range from convenience and the desire to test rare products advertised through word of mouth,” Chairote said.

Photos were the main magnets of attraction with more than 58 per cent saying that photos mattered the most.

The online food business has prospered in the past few years as a result of change in the lifestyle of the urban population.

Suphanee Wathayakorn, a lecturer at the college, noted that more city dwellers now live in apartments and condominiums. They tend to spend less time on cooking. However, the inconvenience of travel and the rush at restaurants may be disincentives for them to go out for a meal.

“The online food business has enjoyed popularity in the past few years, like the e-commerce business. This business requires low investment and the owners need not find locations for their shops. They can also reach out to target customers through social media,” the lecturer said.

She believed that the business would remain attractive in the next few years.

However, she said that this opportunity comes with challenges, as there is no barrier to entry. The business owners, mostly in the ages of 20-35, need to come up with unique products and a sustainable production system, for instance. They also need to roll out new products to better respond to customer requirements.

Chairote’s team has come up with seven strategies for the business. Dubbed “Secrets”, the strategies urge the owners to increase their presence on search platforms, add emotional value like information from nutritionists, communicate precisely on the products’ details and customers’ requirements, use fresh raw materials, resort to essential marketing tools to manage their service areas, reasonably allocate responsibility to team members and offer fast services.