Online sales and the use of third-party platforms
This chapter outlines the online presence of companies and how they use their own website, social media, and third-party platforms when taking orders for food. It examines whether FBOs have a website, use a third-party website, or social media to take orders.
Companies use of their own website
Over half of businesses had a website (54%). This was more common among businesses with 10 or more employees (79%) than smaller businesses (47% of those with less than 10 employees). FBOs were asked whether they used their website to take food orders. A fifth (21%) of businesses with a website reported that they used it to take orders.
Businesses’ use of social media and third-party platforms
All businesses were asked which, if any, social media accounts their business used. The majority of businesses (83%) had some form of social media presence, with the most common type being Facebook (81%), followed by Instagram (38%), as shown in Figure 13. Businesses that sold food as a meal or takeaway were more likely to have a Facebook or Instagram account (87% and 46% respectively).
Figure 13. Social media accounts used by businesses
Here is a visual only chart of: Bar chart showing social media accounts used by businesses. 83% of businesses used any social media. 81% used Facebook, 38% used Instagram, 9% used TikTok, 3% used LinkedIn, 1% used Twitter. 15% did not use social media.
Please find more information provided in the detailed description and/or table below.
Bar chart showing social media accounts used by businesses.
83% of businesses used any social media.
81% used Facebook, 38% used Instagram, 9% used TikTok, 3% used LinkedIn, 1% used Twitter.
15% did not use social media.
A8. What, if any, social media accounts does your business use? Base: All businesses (150).
A small amount (15%) of businesses used their social media accounts to take orders, while the majority did not (84%). Businesses that did take orders through social media mostly did so through Facebook (13% of those with a social media account), followed by Instagram (5%).
Businesses were asked what third-party platforms, if any, they use to sell food products. Only 19% of businesses used third-party platforms to sell food. The most common third-party platform used by businesses was Just Eat (8 out of 18), closely followed by Deliveroo (5 out of 18).
Online sales
All businesses that trade online were asked how much of their sales turnover was currently accounted for by online sales, across all platforms used. The majority (73%) said that less than a quarter of their sales turnover was accounted for by online sales, and a further 13% said less than a half.