The explosion of the delivery service sector in Nigeria, particularly Lagos, has changed the concept of dining out for good. Everything from what we watch to what we eat has become on-demand. More smartphones in more hands, tighter work schedules and changing needs and preferences have led to the rapid growth of food delivery in Lagos. But are all food delivery apps created equal? And more importantly, which one best suits your needs?
This article provides a comparative analysis of some of the top food delivery apps in Nigeria, including Glovo, Chowdeck, and FoodCourt, examining user sentiment, performance metrics, and critical issues within the industry.
Tech Has Improved the Growth of Food Delivery Service in Nigeria - Femi Aluko
Top Food Delivery Apps in Nigeria
Here's a quick rundown of some of the popular food delivery apps in Nigeria:
- Jumia Food: Launched in 2012, it is one of the most popular food apps in Nigeria, expanding to cities like Ibadan, Benin, Abeokuta, Kaduna, Kano, Minna, and Ilorin.
- Bolt Food: Launched in Lagos in 2021, this service features restaurants in Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lagos Island, Lekki, and mainland areas like Surulere and Yaba.
- Glovo: Much newer on the block but with the potential to go big. The app is user-friendly, customer-centric and allows you to track your order every step of the way.
- Chowdeck: Similar to the others, Chowdeck is for on-demand food delivery, where you get access to a wide range of vendors. The Chowdeck app is easy to use.
- Eden Life: Famed for being perfect for tech bros, Eden Life is a subscription-based service that delivers chef-cooked meals to your door.
Comparative Sentiment Analysis
A sentiment analysis was conducted on three prominent food delivery apps in Nigeria: Chowdeck, Glovo, and FoodCourt. This analysis aimed to gauge user satisfaction levels based on reviews from the Google Play Store.
Sentiment Analysis of Chowdeck
Chowdeck had a sample size of 300 Google Play Store reviews and came out with 58% positive sentiment. Chowdeck recorded 175 positive reviews, with app experience earning 48 positive mentions. Delivery time received 34 positive callouts, while order accuracy, driver/rider performance, and customer service received between 6 and 10 positive mentions each.
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Of the 107 negative reviews, app experience issues led the complaints with 56 mentions. Order accuracy problems appeared in 51 reviews, while delivery time frustrations came up 43 times. Payment issues showed up in 32 reviews, and driver or rider problems were mentioned 31 times.
Looking at the most discussed features, app experience dominated with 105 total mentions, but sentiment was almost evenly split: 46% positive versus 53% negative. Delivery time generated 79 mentions with a similar near-even split of 43% positive and 54% negative. With 65 total mentions, a staggering 79% were negative and only 15% were positive.
Sentiment Analysis of Glovo
Of the 300 Glovo reviews I analysed, only 39% were positive, making it the lowest among all three apps. On the positive side, Glovo managed 117 positive reviews. Delivery time led the praise with 28 mentions, followed by app experience with 18 mentions. Driver/rider performance, pricing, and food quality received between 3 and 7 positive mentions each.
The 103 negative reviews paint a picture of widespread frustration. Order accuracy topped the complaints at 52 mentions, appearing in just over half of negative reviews. App experience problems came up 51 times, payment issues appeared in 41 reviews, delivery time complaints hit 38 mentions, and customer service concerns showed up 34 times.
When examining the most discussed features, app experience generated 81 mentions, but a crushing 63% were negative compared to just 22% positive. Delivery time had 72 mentions, split 39% positive and 53% negative. Order accuracy, discussed 57 times with a 91% negative sentiment. That means only 2% of order accuracy mentions were positive. Virtually every single user who mentioned order accuracy in their review was complaining about it.
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Comparative Analysis Across All Apps
When all three apps are put side by side, the rankings became clear.
Chowdeck narrowly leads with 58% positive sentiment and 175 positive reviews, earning a 3.45 average rating. FoodCourt came in close second with the same 3.45 average rating and 58% positive sentiment. Glovo lagged significantly behind at just 39% positive sentiment, with a 2.82 average rating.
Note on methodology: FoodCourt’s analysis is based on 214 reviews, while Chowdeck and Glovo each had 300 reviews. The smaller sample size means FoodCourt’s percentages may be slightly less stable, though the trends remain valid.
Chowdeck is technically “winning,” but with 58% positive sentiment, that means 4 in 10 users aren’t satisfied. That’s not a comfortable lead; it’s a vulnerable position that any competitor could overtake with the right improvements.
But Glovo’s situation is more urgent. At 39% positive sentiment combined with a surprisingly high 27% neutral sentiment, users are either indifferent or have deeply mixed feelings about the service. This lukewarm response is almost as damaging as outright negative sentiment.
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Industry-Wide Critical Issues
Rather than analyse each app’s problems separately, the data reveals that all three apps struggle with the same core issues. This isn’t a competitive problem; it’s a systemic industry crisis.
Payment Issues
Payment issues plague all three apps with devastating negative sentiment:
- FoodCourt: 100% negative (14 mentions)
- Chowdeck: 87% negative (37 mentions)
- Glovo: 87% negative (41 mentions)
Payment is fundamental to any transaction app. When users can’t pay reliably or, worse, can’t get refunds, they abandon the app entirely. This directly costs revenue and destroys trust faster than any other issue. This is why I think fixing this issue should be prioritised across all apps.
Order Accuracy
Order accuracy is one problem that has received a combination of high mentions and negative sentiment across the board:
- Glovo: 91% negative (57 mentions)
- Chowdeck: 79% negative (65 mentions)
- FoodCourt: 79% negative (42 mentions)
These similar percentages suggest fundamental challenges with restaurant partnerships, kitchen preparation processes, and fulfilment systems that the entire food delivery sector needs to address.
Customer Service
The thing with poor customer service is that it transforms minor issues into app-ending disasters. And it is another problem that users have complained about multiple times across these apps:
- Chowdeck: 83% negative (18 mentions)
- Glovo: 81% negative (42 mentions)
- FoodCourt: 58% negative (19 mentions)
This is an important issue that needs attention because when payment fails AND customer service can’t help, users feel completely helpless. A payment glitch might be forgiven if support fixes it quickly, but when both systems fail simultaneously, it becomes an issue that can potentially lead to app uninstallation.
| Issue | Glovo | Chowdeck | FoodCourt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payment Issues | 87% negative (41 mentions) | 87% negative (37 mentions) | 100% negative (14 mentions) |
| Order Accuracy | 91% negative (57 mentions) | 79% negative (65 mentions) | 79% negative (42 mentions) |
| Customer Service | 81% negative (42 mentions) | 83% negative (18 mentions) | 58% negative (19 mentions) |
Recommendations
The data reveals a clear action hierarchy. While each app has unique severity levels, what needs to be worked on applies across the board.
- Fix Payment Issues: Fixing payment issues should be priority number one for every app, regardless of which problem has worse sentiment scores. Payment problems are faster to fix than operational issues like order accuracy, and they directly block revenue.
- Fix Order Accuracy: Fixing this would require fine-tuning the standard operating procedure for restaurant partners, implementing an extra layer of verification before orders are sent out and rewarding partners that get the highest order accuracy scores.
- Rebuild Customer Service: Customer service across all apps should be empowered, visible, and responsive. Users need to feel heard when things go wrong, not ignored.
Delivery Speed Comparison: Glovo, Chowdeck, and FoodCourt
When deciding which apps to buy food from, users often consider restaurant variety, fees (delivery, service, and surge), and, critically, delivery speed. Here’s a comparison of delivery speeds among Glovo, Chowdeck, and FoodCourt, based on tests conducted in Lagos.
Morning Test: Chowdeck vs. Glovo
In a morning test, Glovo outperformed Chowdeck. The Glovo rider arrived in approximately 20 minutes, while Chowdeck’s total delivery time was 28 minutes.
Evening Test: Chowdeck vs. Glovo vs. FoodCourt
During the evening test, Glovo came first, again (33 minutes after the order was placed). Chowdeck, again, came last (Total delivery time: 61 minutes). FoodCourt arrived in 50 minutes.
Verdict
In both the morning and evening tests, Glovo outpaced the competition, delivering fastest despite relying on bicycles for both rounds. Chowdeck, however, consistently lagged behind, likely slowed by order batching, high demand at popular restaurants, and possible inefficiencies in internal sorting processes.
Performance Trends in Q2 2024
In the second quarter of 2024, the top food delivery apps on the Android platform in Nigeria exhibited varied performance trends in terms of downloads and active users.
- Glovo: Experienced fluctuations in weekly downloads, averaging around 12K to 13K. Weekly active users showed a consistent trend, rising to approximately 84K by the end of June.
- Chowdeck: Saw a significant increase in downloads, especially in late April and May, jumping from 4K to nearly 10K. Active user numbers peaked at 65K towards the end of May.
- MANO food & products delivery: Had a modest but steady performance in downloads, ranging from 1.6K to just over 2.4K throughout the quarter.
- FoodCourt: Experienced a notable increase in weekly downloads, particularly in late April where it surged from 273 to 1.6K, and maintained this momentum through June.
