The media and marketing industry is awash with stories about the sudden emergence of flash delivery services. This new concept is very much the talk of the town, and a source of unrest in certain circles. Not only do they represent new competition for the supermarkets: platforms like Just Eat Takeaway, bol.com and Amazon are also competing with flash delivery services for service provision and convenience. But just how fast is this development actually taking place in the Netherlands? MeMo² shares the results of the first large-scale survey into this new phenomenon on our streets.
A new look on our cities’ streets
The question is in fact easily answered: it depends where you ask and who you ask. Outside the Randstad conurbation, and above all in the 45 plus age group, 69% have never even heard of the concept of flash delivery. “For those living or working in larger cities, this may be difficult to imagine,” says Marcel Vogels, founder of MeMo². “The trams in the bright livery of Getir and the outdoor advertising campaigns by Gorillas, Flink and Zapp have created a new look on the streets. Not to mention the flocks of delivery riders racing through the streets in their branded outfits. A sort of Randstad 2.0.”
This new look seems to be bearing fruit in the streets of the Netherlands’ three biggest cities: in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, flash delivery services have achieved 80% awareness. Among the 18 to 34 year-old residents of those same cities, the awareness rating in fact rises to 89%. In no time, the phenomenon has become a household name, at least in the big three cities.
Gorillas is not monkeying around
For the time being there is one major winner in terms of brand awareness, and the title goes to the delivery riders from Gorillas. This particular player is known to 4.9 million over-18s in the Netherlands, followed at some distance by the competitors Flink (3.2 million), Getir (1.7 million) and Zapp (1.1 million). More than 1 million over-18s in the Netherlands have in fact already made a purchase via one of the flash delivery services.
In the big three cities, just over a quarter of the population made use of a flash delivery service in 2021 (26%). And those same cities also recorded the highest name awareness scores: Gorillas has an awareness rating of 67%, followed by Getir (44%), Flink (43%) and Zapp (20%). Nevertheless, we may be witnessing the birth of something that is here to stay. Although ‘only’ 26% of consumers in the three big cities have used a flash delivery service so far, there appears to be a large group of potential users. More than half suggest they are considering a flash delivery service. And with the recent introduction of stricter COVID-19 measures, those considerations may soon be converted into adoption and penetration.
The brands together have helped boost awareness of the category, and the time is right for Gorillas, Flink and Getir to convert the latent demand into actual purchases. MeMo² expects to witness a rapid spread of disruptive flash delivery riders over the coming period. One forgotten food item or no time to complete your Christmas shopping list? “No problem,” according to Vogels. “A delivery rider will be at your doorstep ‘in a flash’, with the missing item.”
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About the survey
For this survey, MeMo² made use of THX., an innovative platform capable of continuously measuring actual consumer behaviour. The tool helps advertisers determine the success of their media, brand and retail efforts. THX. includes more than 500 profile traits and makes it possible to gather new traits and opinions in next to no time.
For this survey, Dutch residents aged 18 years and older were asked whether they had heard of Gorillas, Flink, Getir and/or Zapp. If they confirmed knowledge of flash delivery services, they were asked which of the flash delivery providers they would consider using and from which flash delivery provider(s) they had already made a purchase. 1,811 Dutch people took part in the survey.
THX. was once again a prize winner this year. With THX., in cooperation with Publicis, Albert Heijn, Duracell and Iglo, MeMo² won 4 IAB Research Awards in the categories Best Use of Research Budget, Brand Advertising Effectiveness, Crossmedia Research and Research Innovation. It was also recently announced that MeMo² had received the worldwide I-COM Award 2021 for the development and impact of the THX. platform, and it was announced this year that MeMo² had been acquired by global market leader for research and analytics services Kantar (WWP/Bain).