As of the end of 2023, Uber Eats was the leading food delivery app in Japan in terms of the total number of downloads, with million. Other competitors included Demae-can and Domino’s. Figures show that a considerable share of Japan’s population had downloaded food delivery apps. Although the download of a food delivery app itself does not guarantee the usage thereof, it implies that people have considered using food delivery services.
Third-party food delivery companies
Restaurant food deliveries can either be performed by the restaurant that makes the food itself or by third-party companies specialized in food delivery. Third-party companies are increasingly gaining foot in the Japanese market, with Demae-can and Uber Eats currently being at the forefront of the most utilized food delivery companies. The only restaurant chain that can compete with the two leading third-party companies is Domino’s Pizza, presumably owing to the fact that pizza is the most commonly ordered food in Japan.
Pandemic boost
The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic might have been a blessing in disguise for the development of food delivery in Japan. Around the time of the first lockdown in early 2020, download numbers of food delivery apps of leading food delivery companies, such as that of Demae-can, increased considerably. The boost was also reflected in the revenue generated, with Demae-can’s net sales increasing significantly since the advent of the pandemic.