The global online food delivery market may witness a double-digit growth rate of more than 11% between 2022 and 2027, expects market researchers. Estimates suggest that the global online food delivery market could be more than US$130 billion in 2022. Researchers project the number to grow to US$223.7 billion by 2027.
APIs will play a key role in enhancing efficiency in this market. Food ordering and delivery service providers, applications to be more precise, benefit from embedding these APIs that empower these providers with a large inventory of food stores and services, facilitate ordering food, and also take care of delivery.
There are multiple food API providers in the market. And a few of them have managed to stand out. Mealme, offering inventory for food across more than a million stores and more than a billion products with its API, has emerged as a leading player in the market. Yet, understanding a product's or service's true value is not possible on a standalone basis. One has to see it in comparison with other peers in its group to understand the real value-additions it has to offer.
Here, we compare Mealme with its competitor, Food APIs, operating in the same zone as Mealme.
Mealme In Comparison With Foodkit and Spoonacular
Integrating or embedding the MealMe API would offer access to food inventory data from millions of large retailers, restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, electronic stores, home goods, and more. Products that users can access go over a billion.
Foodkit’s full-featured, plug-and-play API suite enables ordering, marketing, and deliveries across single or multiple-location restaurants. However, there is no specific number available that helps ascertain the size of its inventory.
Spoonacular API speaks of an ingredients inventory of more than 2,600, a recipe inventory of more than 5,000, menu items inventory of more than 115,000, and a product inventory of more than 600,000.
However, MealMe’s competitive edge in the market does not rest only on its mammoth store and product inventory. Its delivery API facilitates both restaurant and grocery delivery. The service is rich in both its length and breadth. It facilitates pickup, delivery, and courier. And it offers service facilities of more than 30,000 delivery agencies, courier services, and stores with their drivers.
Foodkit also claims to automate and optimize the food delivery operations of a business, from order placement to customer drop-off. However, FoodKit’s delivery network is heavily reliant on third-party on-demand delivery drivers, which may vary depending on the location.
Spoonacular use cases - on the other hand - are focused more on recipe analysis, recipe management, meal planning, shoppable recipes, etc.
Overall, MealMe APIs draw their strength from the number of providers it has in its bouquet and the diversity of services it has to offer. It is rare to find a Food API that caters to these many service areas with such deep penetration into each area it covers.