Today with the digital surgeon the upswing and most of the population still not venturing out to enjoy simple pleasures like eating out at their favorite restaurant, the Food Delivery Apps are in business.
Now we have a new entrant in the business Mealpro who are going to operate on their
With the vision of combining it with the revolutionary technology and food payment system, Mealpro wants to provide a seamless and personalized eating experience whether it’s walk-in or online order, suitable to every kind of budget and by getting the basic right like the recipe, hygiene, and taste.
Their Mission is to build India’s largest technology-driven meal eco-system
In an exclusive chat with Medianews4u Debasis Samanta – Founder – Mealpro speaks to us on why they are launching this app, the benefits to the consumer, and much more.
What is Mealpro?
With Mealpro, we are building India’s largest technology-driven meal eco-system. It will be combined with revolutionary technology and a food payment system, Mealpro wants to provide a seamless and personalized eating experience, whether it’s for walk-in or online order, suitable to every kind of budget and by getting the basic right like recipes, hygiene, and taste.
Today Swiggy&Zomato are the leaders, what will be the challenges for Mealpro in this market? What is the market size when it comes to the food delivery business, is it a complete urban scenario or Tier 2& 3 also included?
Within the food services market value is $65 billion dollars, online delivery forms only a small subset with a market size of about $4.2 billion (which is about 6-7 percent). Hence, there is also an opportunity for online delivery to gain a share within the growing food services pie. Only 9 percent of Internet users in India are currently ordering food online. This is definitely going to increase and be up for grabs for everyone for players like Mealpro.
The market is also currently witnessing growth on account of the increasing internet penetration and the boosting sales of smartphones. This, in confluence with the growing working population and increasing per capital income and income levels general, is driving the market further in the country. According to the estimates by IMARC Group, the Indian online food delivery market is expected to witness a CAGR of 30.1% from 2021 to 2026.
The current market is more like a duopoly, and we believe there is enough room for new entrants like Mealpro. Plus Mealpro has certain elements and features with it which no one has done in the food tech and delivery space. (We will be able to share those posts we launch, not before that)
What is different in Mealpro?
It is the way we look at things and go after them. Everyone we have spoken to has told us that the market is already having two such big giants, how will you even make an entry, forgetting about making a mark. When we started talking to restaurant partners and end consumers, we came to know about so many micro and macro gaps in the food delivery industry. Our team then sat down and brainstormed to identify the problems that are faced by the larger audience which makes a business like Mealpro scalable. For example, a segment wants homemade food for lunch and dinner. A lot of tiffin service with homemade food in every city exists in spite of all the food delivery players being present. And they are doing excellent. Another segment wants breakfast at the office because they don’t have the facility to have /make breakfast in the morning and they have to rush for work. So how about hygienic and homemade breakfast delivered to one’s work desk on a subscription model. There are many such needs and we are going to dedicatedly address and fulfill those and build a loyal consumer base.
What are the advantages for the customer from Mealpro?
We won’t be able to disclose much before the launch. Good food delivered on time to your doorstep with exciting deals with cash backs and rewards are a given, But at the same time, we have some pretty exciting features and value-added services which have not been done by anyone in India in the food delivery space. One of those features is an in-app dietician and meal planners for our premium subscribers. The other is AI-based food suggestions based on mood.
How does meal pro redefine the eating process from the existing one?
The online food delivery business exists primarily because of the convenience it provides to the end-users; every other factor is more like hygiene factors, taste, pricing, on-time delivery etc. So to be able to differentiate and create a totally different user experience will need something radically different with the given parameters. So we sat down and thought about what we can do differently. Other than providing the right price, on-time delivery, hot fresh food, Mealpro is designed to give a never-before experience to the users with more ease, choices, and some extra-ordinary benefits. Mealpro is going to be a part of life, online and off-line, more like a friend, companion, ensuring good eating habits, health with an entire eco-system.
Way forward in the new normal?
A very interesting question. While we all are dying to get out of our houses and catch up with friends and family over Saturday night dinner at our favorite restaurant, staying in for dinner and entertainment is also going to be a thing going forward. We already have seen this with the growth of OTT platforms and Youtube during and post lockdown.
And we are saying Mealpro is for every occasion, home delivery, and in-restaurant experience.
Are any acquisitions or tie-ups in the anvil?
Yes, we are currently in the process of onboarding the restaurant partners. We believe partnerships with the restaurants are the backbone of this business and we, unlike the market leaders are not here to arm-twist them. We are here to co-exist and grow together We also have a major fin-tech play in our model and we are waiting for approvals from RBI and NBFC partners for the same.
