Industry cases’ context and data collection process
| Case ID | Case description | Data-collection process details |
|---|---|---|
| • Case #1 | Founded in February 2015, Case #1 represents a purpose-built, medium-large application-based food-sharing platform. Operating in both business-to-customer (B2C) and customer-to-customer (C2C) spheres, Case #1 aims to facilitate better interactions among upstream and downstream stakeholders (i.e. both peer-to-peer and local food businesses to consumers interactions). This interaction facilitation is achieved by acting as a “gatekeeper” in the redistribution of surplus food from: brick-and-mortar businesses and consumers (C2C transactions). Monetisation takes the form of financial transactions between local food business operators and Case #1 (food business operator – platform), whereby businesses with excess supply pay Case #1 a fee for redistributing this surplus stock via several channels on the platform. Having recently exceeded 2.1 million users, Case #1 incorporates multiple specific application features, a primary function being fee-free C2C communication (i.e. product listings), sale and sharing of food/non-food items | 1.75-h interview with business development manager; transcript notes and queries validated with the respondent and triangulated with platform CEO and COO via email interview/discussions, company webpages, reports and official social media streams. External sources such as independent user reviews were also considered alongside researcher testing of platform functionality over two months |
| • Case #2 | Given its entry into the UK market in 2006, Case #2 is considered a pioneer digital food platform offering a digital marketplace for consumers to conveniently explore and order food and drink supplies from a wide array of restaurants and cuisines using a single platform: “We are a marketplace that provides a place for consumers to find all that local restaurants offer and order food straight to their homes”. Case #2 has a heritage in the self-delivery business, wherein partner restaurants fulfil most orders. Recent years have seen logistical development leading to a scenario where up to 20% of orders are fulfilled by Case #2. A centralised model consisting of one company, one brand and one IT platform ensures best practices across the organisation. Of the 45,000 partners listed on the platform, Case #2 experienced an initial dip in sales (approximately 50%) following the initial COVID-19 pandemic-induced government measures due to high volumes of partners ceasing operations | 1.5-h interview with global restaurant and sustainability director; transcript notes and validation of critical points were carried out via email discussions, company website and annual report analysis |
| • Case #3 | Case #3 was established in 2013 and has exhibited an annual revenue growth of around 650% yearly. Based on their location, customers can choose from various restaurant and cuisine options with business operations, including food delivery from restaurants to customers. The entire platform is based on the “Frank” algorithm that integrates several different technologies, including predictive technology, to ensure that the experience of the customers, restaurants and delivery partners can be enhanced. Case #3 is one of the UK’s largest food platform delivery organisations and offers nationwide coverage with over 30,000 UK partner restaurants. Case #3 serves as an intermediary platform between customers and restaurants. Customers place/pay for all orders via an online application, which is conveyed to the participating restaurant | Secondary data case study of one of the largest UK food platforms: company reports, operational data, sales data (UK statistics) and official publicly available resources (i.e. official website and social media streams used alongside researcher platform functionality testing in the validation process) |
| • Case #4 | A small/emergent start-up established in March 2020 and operating in grocery delivery since inception following the COVID-19 pandemic-imposed lockdown measures in the UK. Case #4 represents an example of disruption-driven platformisation of regular food business operators in the UK food sector, with rapid service and geographic upscaling being salient. The firm’s founders identified the need to deliver fresh groceries and bakery items to UK customers as challenges arose surrounding “physical” shopping amidst the COVID-19 lockdown. The organisation’s key focus involves providing higher quality food items to local communities delivered biweekly | 1.5-h interview with the CEO, followed by a 1-h follow-up interview for results validation and usage statistics; company reports, website, product and primary platform usage data were used as external data sources |
| • Case #5 | Case #5 is a small-scale food provider focusing on delivering ethical, wholesome and healthy plant-based food to consumers. Case #5 also encompasses the idea of spreading culturally diverse, vegetarian and vegan food products by providing customers with a mix of traditional and fusion cuisine. Having approached the Prince’s Trust In 2016, Case #5 began trading in 2017, primarily focusing on catering for events, festivals and special occasions during UK holiday periods. Operating from a single site, customer orders are solely taken via digital means (x2 third-party platforms) and fulfilled by four employees whose responsibilities range from ordering supplies to cooking and delivery processes | 1.5-h video interview with Case #5 founder, validated via a 1-h follow-up interview and email correspondence; company reports, official webpages, order data and primary platform usage were also used for case validation |
| • Case #6 | Case #6 is an emergent family-run business established in April 2019. Having begun trading before the COVID-19 pandemic disruption, Case #6 began operating with children’s parties/events in mind and offered products ranging from beverages, snacks and finger food alongside offering “animal cycle” entertainment (PonyCycles). As the business has grown, Case #6’s consumer base has also expanded to offering products and services for a range of larger events (e.g. birthday parties, anniversaries and graduations). This trend led to further development and growing product/service offerings, including confectionaries, party bags, a wider range of finger foods and more extensive (i.e. hot food) event catering. As an emergent platform player, Case #6 aims to provide products and services eponymous with quality, safety and reliability while offering high customer satisfaction through partner-facilitated entertainment (internal and external collaboration) for all the family | 1.5-h video interview with Case #6 CEO, followed by a 1-h follow-up interview, was conducted via video call; further email correspondence for case validation was conducted via external sources such as the official website, sales data and primary platform usage |
| • Case #7 | Established in October 2018, Case #7 began operations as a small-scale caterer for events occurring fewer than twice a month. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the operation expanded to a more digital sphere encompassing physical and digital markets through its e-commerce operations. Operations occur daily, with orders taken from Monday to Thursday ahead of collection or delivery. Operating from a single-site headquarters, Case #7 targets its customers by bringing cultural fusion foods to the masses and providing them with novel menus and combinations. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the brick-and-mortar operations of Case #7. A transformation and growth from a single market stall and in-person catering events within the city centre (i.e. Hitchin) soon extended to diversified e-commerce operations, including customer collection and takeaway delivery orders alongside commercial supply to local cafes: 3–4 regular café partners as of July 2020 | 1.5-h video interview with Case #7 CEO, and 1-h follow-up interview with CEO and COO via joint video conference call; subsequent validation occurred via the official Case #7 website, product, order data and researcher platform functionality testing |
| Case ID | Case description | Data-collection process details |
|---|---|---|
| • Case #1 | Founded in February 2015, Case #1 represents a purpose-built, medium-large application-based food-sharing platform. Operating in both business-to-customer (B2C) and customer-to-customer (C2C) spheres, Case #1 aims to facilitate better interactions among upstream and downstream stakeholders (i.e. both peer-to-peer and local food businesses to consumers interactions). This interaction facilitation is achieved by acting as a “gatekeeper” in the redistribution of surplus food from: brick-and-mortar businesses and consumers (C2C transactions). Monetisation takes the form of financial transactions between local food business operators and Case #1 (food business operator – platform), whereby businesses with excess supply pay Case #1 a fee for redistributing this surplus stock via several channels on the platform. Having recently exceeded 2.1 million users, Case #1 incorporates multiple specific application features, a primary function being fee-free C2C communication (i.e. product listings), sale and sharing of food/non-food items | 1.75-h interview with business development manager; transcript notes and queries validated with the respondent and triangulated with platform CEO and COO via email interview/discussions, company webpages, reports and official social media streams. External sources such as independent user reviews were also considered alongside researcher testing of platform functionality over two months |
| • Case #2 | Given its entry into the UK market in 2006, Case #2 is considered a pioneer digital food platform offering a digital marketplace for consumers to conveniently explore and order food and drink supplies from a wide array of restaurants and cuisines using a single platform: “We are a marketplace that provides a place for consumers to find all that local restaurants offer and order food straight to their homes”. Case #2 has a heritage in the self-delivery business, wherein partner restaurants fulfil most orders. Recent years have seen logistical development leading to a scenario where up to 20% of orders are fulfilled by Case #2. A centralised model consisting of one company, one brand and one IT platform ensures best practices across the organisation. Of the 45,000 partners listed on the platform, Case #2 experienced an initial dip in sales (approximately 50%) following the initial COVID-19 pandemic-induced government measures due to high volumes of partners ceasing operations | 1.5-h interview with global restaurant and sustainability director; transcript notes and validation of critical points were carried out via email discussions, company website and annual report analysis |
| • Case #3 | Case #3 was established in 2013 and has exhibited an annual revenue growth of around 650% yearly. Based on their location, customers can choose from various restaurant and cuisine options with business operations, including food delivery from restaurants to customers. The entire platform is based on the “Frank” algorithm that integrates several different technologies, including predictive technology, to ensure that the experience of the customers, restaurants and delivery partners can be enhanced. Case #3 is one of the UK’s largest food platform delivery organisations and offers nationwide coverage with over 30,000 UK partner restaurants. Case #3 serves as an intermediary platform between customers and restaurants. Customers place/pay for all orders via an online application, which is conveyed to the participating restaurant | Secondary data case study of one of the largest UK food platforms: company reports, operational data, sales data (UK statistics) and official publicly available resources (i.e. official website and social media streams used alongside researcher platform functionality testing in the validation process) |
| • Case #4 | A small/emergent start-up established in March 2020 and operating in grocery delivery since inception following the COVID-19 pandemic-imposed lockdown measures in the UK. Case #4 represents an example of disruption-driven platformisation of regular food business operators in the UK food sector, with rapid service and geographic upscaling being salient. The firm’s founders identified the need to deliver fresh groceries and bakery items to UK customers as challenges arose surrounding “physical” shopping amidst the COVID-19 lockdown. The organisation’s key focus involves providing higher quality food items to local communities delivered biweekly | 1.5-h interview with the CEO, followed by a 1-h follow-up interview for results validation and usage statistics; company reports, website, product and primary platform usage data were used as external data sources |
| • Case #5 | Case #5 is a small-scale food provider focusing on delivering ethical, wholesome and healthy plant-based food to consumers. Case #5 also encompasses the idea of spreading culturally diverse, vegetarian and vegan food products by providing customers with a mix of traditional and fusion cuisine. Having approached the Prince’s Trust In 2016, Case #5 began trading in 2017, primarily focusing on catering for events, festivals and special occasions during UK holiday periods. Operating from a single site, customer orders are solely taken via digital means (x2 third-party platforms) and fulfilled by four employees whose responsibilities range from ordering supplies to cooking and delivery processes | 1.5-h video interview with Case #5 founder, validated via a 1-h follow-up interview and email correspondence; company reports, official webpages, order data and primary platform usage were also used for case validation |
| • Case #6 | Case #6 is an emergent family-run business established in April 2019. Having begun trading before the COVID-19 pandemic disruption, Case #6 began operating with children’s parties/events in mind and offered products ranging from beverages, snacks and finger food alongside offering “animal cycle” entertainment (PonyCycles). As the business has grown, Case #6’s consumer base has also expanded to offering products and services for a range of larger events (e.g. birthday parties, anniversaries and graduations). This trend led to further development and growing product/service offerings, including confectionaries, party bags, a wider range of finger foods and more extensive (i.e. hot food) event catering. As an emergent platform player, Case #6 aims to provide products and services eponymous with quality, safety and reliability while offering high customer satisfaction through partner-facilitated entertainment (internal and external collaboration) for all the family | 1.5-h video interview with Case #6 CEO, followed by a 1-h follow-up interview, was conducted via video call; further email correspondence for case validation was conducted via external sources such as the official website, sales data and primary platform usage |
| • Case #7 | Established in October 2018, Case #7 began operations as a small-scale caterer for events occurring fewer than twice a month. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the operation expanded to a more digital sphere encompassing physical and digital markets through its e-commerce operations. Operations occur daily, with orders taken from Monday to Thursday ahead of collection or delivery. Operating from a single-site headquarters, Case #7 targets its customers by bringing cultural fusion foods to the masses and providing them with novel menus and combinations. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the brick-and-mortar operations of Case #7. A transformation and growth from a single market stall and in-person catering events within the city centre (i.e. Hitchin) soon extended to diversified e-commerce operations, including customer collection and takeaway delivery orders alongside commercial supply to local cafes: 3–4 regular café partners as of July 2020 | 1.5-h video interview with Case #7 CEO, and 1-h follow-up interview with CEO and COO via joint video conference call; subsequent validation occurred via the official Case #7 website, product, order data and researcher platform functionality testing |
Notes:
CEO = Chief Executive Officer; COO = Chief Operating Officer; IT = Information Technology; NHS = National Health Service