Business Is war. You go to war to win market share, to compete, to steal customers from your competitors, to take their profits and to win. From the Cola War between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to the Smartphone War between Apple and Samsung, intense competition between businesses leads to better products, lower prices and improved customer service, so customers are often the winner in every business war.
Brief overview of Chowdeck and Glovo
Glovo: Glovo was founded in 2015 by Oscar Pierre and Sacha Michaud in Barcelona, Spain. It quickly expanded its operations across Europe, Latin America, and Africa. Glovo entered the Nigerian market in 2021, making a bold statement by competing with existing local and international players. With its global reach and experience, Glovo brought a well-oiled logistics operation to Nigeria, positioning itself as a comprehensive delivery service, offering more than just food delivery but also groceries, pharmaceuticals, and courier services.
Glovo operates in more than 20 countries and spans 140 cities globally. In Nigeria, it serves Abuja, Ibadan, and Lagos. While Glovo generally offers 24/7 service, restaurant hours vary. By connecting users to nearby food spots, Glovo takes pride in delivering meals “within minutes” at competitive delivery rates.
Chowdeck: Chowdeck, on the other hand, is a homegrown platform that was launched in 2021 by Nigerian entrepreneurs – Femi Aluko, Lanre Yusuf and Olamide Ojo – who identified a gap in the local market for a food delivery service that truly understands the needs of Nigerian consumers. Chowdeck has focused on creating a seamless connection between local restaurants and consumers, with an emphasis on providing a wide variety of local and continental dishes. The platform prides itself on its deep understanding of the local market, leveraging this to build a loyal customer base.
Chowdeck’s Go To Market (GTM) plan was simple. Give customers access to a wide range of restaurants with affordable delivery fees. They operate within seven states in Nigeria – Lagos, Abuja, Rivers, Oyo, Ibadan, Edo, Ogun and Delta state.
How it started
Chowdeck entered the Nigeria food delivery market in October 2021, while Glovo, already a global player, expanded into Nigeria in September 2021.
During this period (2021-2022), both Chowdeck and Glovo were busy enhancing their platforms with new features. Chowdeck introduced options for local dishes that were not readily available on other platforms and prioritized fast delivery times. They also rolled out promotions that rewarded users with discounts for frequent orders, enhancing customer loyalty.
Glovo, with its vast international resources, began by offering a broader range of services beyond food delivery, including groceries and courier services. This diversification allowed Glovo to appeal to a wider audience, but it meant that their food delivery service took some time to reach the level of localization and user experience that Chowdeck offered.
In-depth Comparison of Chowdeck and Glovo Nigeria
Go To Market Strategy
Chowdeck: Chowdeck go to market strategy was to give Nigerians access to a wide range of restaurants with an affordable delivery fee, and Chowdeck is not deviating from that strategy, this is evident by their recent partnership with quick-service restaurant giant, Chicken Republic. After securing fundings, Chowdeck expanded their service into grocery and convenience store product delivery.
Glovo: Glovo entered the market as an on-demand food delivery company. After Covid-19, the demand for online grocery delivery market increased, and the industry was speculated to grow by $266.05 billion between 2023 and 2027. Glovo went ahead to diversify its offerings to include grocery delivery, courier service, and even pharmaceuticals and electronics products delivery. This broad range of services opened Glovo up to a new customer segment.
App Aesthetics
Chowdeck: The Chowdeck was designed with Africans in mind. The design is tailored towards the local Nigerian audience, the app incorporates vibrant colors and high quality images, which creates a warm and immersive experience for users.
Glovo: Glovo app is known for its clean minimalistic design with a bright color palette that’s visually appealing. It uses a lot of white space, making it feel uncluttered and easy to navigate. The app icons and buttons are simple, yet intuitive.
App User-Friendliness
Glovo user interface is easy to navigate in comparison to Chowdeck. A significant number of users have complained about the user friendliness of the Chowdeck app and how hard it’s to navigate.
Pricing
Chowdeck food pricing is a bit higher than that of Glovo. If can be deduced that Chowdeck markup prices of the food and not the restaurant themselves, due to the fact that you can order same quantity of food from the same restaurant on Glovo and Chowdeck, but the price on the Chowdeck app will be higher than that of Glovo.
Here are what users of both platform are saying regarding their pricing:
Service Charge
Chowdeck applies a 10% service charge for all food bought. Chowdeck applies surge and service charges. According to Chowdeck, the surge fee is a “dynamic flat fee applicable when order demand exceeds available driver supply.” On the other hand, Glovo does not impose surge fees.
Glovo has a flat 100 naira service charge on all orders. Glovo applies a “product fee,” which is a commission added to the product’s cost, capped at ₦50. Chowdeck, on the other hand, imposes a “small order fee,” which users are charged if they don’t meet the minimum order requirement set by specific restaurants.
Below is a food order from the same restaurant (same quantity of food as well) on both platform:
Order Tracking
Glovo: Glovo offers detailed and real time GPS tracking for each and every order. Users can see the exact location of the delivery person in relation to their own location, from the moment they pick up the order from the restaurant until it’s delivered. Glovo provides a live location of the rider, allowing users to follow their delivery in real time.
Chowdeck: Chowdeck provides essential order status updates. Users can see the status of their order. The interface is straightforward, showing essential order updates.
Delivery Speed
In a poll/survey made by Bayomi on X (Twitter) to determine the delivery speed of both platforms, 326 twitter users who have used both Glovo and Chowdeck participated in the poll. 71% voted for Chowdeck over Glovo when it comes to delivery speed.
This type of surveys oftentimes are not entirely accurate, because some users end up voting based on the popularity, users who have used just one of the app, will vote for the brand they’re familiar with.
Glovo and Chowdeck both have a competitive delivery speed, and delivery can sometimes be slow due to factors like traffic and delays from the restaurant.
Dispatch Riders Professionalism
Riders professionalism in general can vary based on location and individual rider temperament. Female users of both platforms have oftentimes called out their riders for being misogynistic and violent towards them.
Another general complaint by users of both platforms is riders eating a part of their meal or not delivering at all after picking up the food from the restaurant.
Customer Support
Chowdeck: Chowdeck customer support typically responds through in-app messaging, social media direct message, or phone calls. While the service aims to resolve issues quickly, some users may experience delays in getting resolutions, particularly during busy periods. One other good thing about Chowdeck support channel is that users can just tweet at them and tag their customer support handle for faster response.
Glovo: Glovo offers a strong customer support system, providing options such as in-app chat, email, and phone support. Glove’s customer support team responds in real time to customer complaints. While the Glovo is typically responsive, wait times may fluctuate based on the time of day and the nature of the issue.
Conclusion
While Chowdeck might shine with its fast delivery and access to high-end restaurants, Glovo’s multi-category delivery model and wide range of restaurant options attract those looking for versatility and cost-effectiveness.
