Too Good to Go and Olio shine as Europeans flock to food waste apps
Approximately one in ten adults in Europe now have a sustainable food app, with Too Good to Go and Olio leading the way.
An analysis of the performance of these apps over the past year by App Radar has revealed that the sector gained 14 million new Android users in the past 12 months.
This means the top 13 European players’ Android user base grew by 36% from 1st March 2021 to 28th February 2022 to 38.3 million.
When taking into account potential iOS users, total lifetime downloads for the sector could be around 75 million - or one in ten adults in Europe.
The continued strength of the industry, which took off during the pandemic, indicates that consumer behaviour patterns have continued, though downloads have dropped slightly from their pandemic peak.
Initial results for the first quarter of 2022 shows 3.1 million new users compared to 3.6 million in Q1 2021.
The fastest growing startup in terms of volume of new Android downloads was Too Good to Go at 9.8 million, followed by Olio with 2.5 million, and Phenix with 1.3 million. All three companies also lead the way in terms of lifetime downloads.
Notable movers in the chasing pack are ResQ Club which added 103k Android users for a total of 721k and Karma which added 101k for a total of 769k.
Silvio Peruci, Managing Director at App Radar, says: “Apps are driving many people to live more sustainably.”
“Almost 14 million app downloads in the past 12 months is a huge number when you consider that each download represents an individual wanting to make a step change in their lifestyle.”
“It’s important to remember that this is a new market. Many of the leading apps were actually launched just before or during the pandemic. As a result, we’re very much at the start of the journey.”
“Undoubtedly, we will see a lot of experimentation in approach - everything from what they offer and how they market it through to, crucially, their expansion strategies.”
“At the moment, there are some clear winners emerging who are building sizeable customer base leads and creating tough competition for new entrants. However, these leads are by no means unassailable.”
Peruci concludes: “What we can see from the data is that brand awareness and visibility on app stores is a critical factor for apps in this industry. To create an engaged user base and ultimately change people’s behaviour to become more sustainable, they need a very active community.”
“That requires a solid user acquisition strategy, spanning organic and paid, as well as the features that deliver a great user experience and encourages frequent use and sharing the app with friends”
