Food for thought on the meal delivery business

Another magazine in the mail, another promo for a meal delivery company.

Unlike many people who sampled this new service during the pandemic, I resisted — largely due to the high prices and rigid subscription model.

A recent article highlighted the challenges companies in this space are facing as we gradually move out of the pandemic and back to our normal routines.

What I find very interesting is the identical customer acquisition model that meal delivery and kit companies are using unsuccessfully to capture potential customers such as myself to supplement their core audience. This includes extended purchase programs to reap the advertised discounts.

As I sometimes do, I emailed an executive from one publicly traded company last November to offer some candid feedback in exchange for an incentive.

I never heard back and eight months later, the company’s share price has fallen a further 75 per cent.

If you are in this space and looking for input, the offer remains open. In the meantime, I await the delivery of my next magazine and the likely promotional item that will be included and tossed in the recycling bin.