Revolutionizing Food Delivery: Glovo's Social Media Integration

In a bold move to enhance the user experience, Spain's leading food delivery and quick commerce service, Glovo, is experimenting with the integration of social media features. This innovative approach aims to drive increased in-app activity and foster a more engaging platform for its customers.

Elevating the Food Ordering Experience with Social Connectivity

Connecting Customers and Fostering Recommendations

Glovo's new social features will enable users to find and connect with friends who are also using the app. This is achieved through a seamless process of matching a user's phone contacts to existing Glovo users and sending permission requests to connect. By opting in, users can now share recommendations and discover restaurants that their friends have enjoyed, adding a personal touch to the food discovery process.

Curating Favorite Restaurants with "Picks"

Another exciting feature introduced by Glovo is "Picks," which allows users to save and organize their favorite restaurants by creating and managing personalized lists. These "Picks" can be kept private or shared with friends, enabling users to easily access and recommend their go-to dining destinations.

Bringing the Vertical Feed to Food Exploration

Glovo is also replicating the popular vertical feed format found on social media apps like TikTok, providing restaurants with a new marketing opportunity. Through this feature, restaurants can showcase a showreel of their menu items, giving customers a visually engaging way to explore and discover new culinary offerings.

Ensuring Quality and Transparency

While Glovo is not producing the food preparation videos itself, the company has implemented guidelines to ensure high-quality submissions from its restaurant partners. These guidelines are designed to maintain a focus on the food offerings, with other types of promotions being strictly prohibited.

Expanding the Rollout and Prioritizing User Privacy

The new social features will initially be launched in Glovo's home city of Barcelona, with plans to expand to other cities in Spain this month. If the initial rollout is successful, the company aims to continue the expansion to reach the 22 countries where Glovo currently operates.Regarding user privacy, Glovo emphasizes that it does not share or upload any data without explicit consent. Users must actively grant access to their contact lists in order to add friends, and those friends must also provide express consent before any information about their food delivery habits is shared.

Driving Growth and Profitability

Despite the challenges faced by the quick commerce industry in recent years, Glovo remains optimistic about its growth trajectory. The company reports a strong Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) growth of 44% in 2022 compared to 2024, with improved Adjusted EBITDA performance.Glovo's quick commerce division, which offers speedy deliveries of various products, is also experiencing impressive year-over-year growth of over 50%. The company attributes this success to continued growth in profitable markets and the scaling up of less mature markets.

Enhancing the Decision-Making Process

Glovo's decision to integrate social media features is not a response to any flagging consumer interest in its delivery app. Instead, it is a strategic move to further strengthen its brand and provide users with a more engaging and informative food ordering experience.The company believes that the new features, such as the video discovery wall and friend-based recommendations, will help users navigate the overwhelming number of dining options and make more informed decisions about their meals. By tapping into the power of social connections and visual content, Glovo aims to make the food ordering process even more seamless and enjoyable for its customers.