Should I Build It Should I Build It
20 Apr 2025
Delivery

I want to build a direct online ordering for restaurants. With this ...

...solution, restaurant owners will be able to receive orders directly from customers without needing to work with third party delivery like uber and DoorDash.

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Freemium

People love using similar products but resist paying. You’ll need to either find who will pay or create additional value that’s worth paying for.

Should You Build It?

Build but think about differentiation and monetization.

Your are here

You're entering a market with a good number of similar products (n_matches = 21), which means there's validation for the idea of direct online ordering for restaurants. This also means higher competition, so differentiation will be key. The category of "Freemium" suggests people like these solutions but hesitate to pay. You'll need to figure out what unique value you can offer that restaurants will happily pay for, especially given that the engagement (avg n_comments = 13) in similar products is high, which suggests that restaurants are actively looking for these solutions. Based on user feedback for similar products, an effective onboarding experience is crucial, and many restaurants are looking to avoid high third-party delivery platform fees, so highlighting cost savings is an excellent way to resonate with potential customers.

Recommendations

  1. Given the 'Freemium' category, start by offering a basic version for free. Focus on core functionality like menu display and order taking. This will get restaurants on board and allow you to gather feedback for future development.
  2. Identify which restaurants get the most value from the free version. Which types of restaurants are using your platform most effectively? What features are they using the most? Understand their specific pain points to tailor premium features that directly address their needs.
  3. Create premium features that directly help these restaurants even more. Consider features like advanced analytics, marketing tools, loyalty programs, or integrations with accounting software. This is where you create the value that justifies a paid subscription.
  4. Given the criticism of similar products regarding unclear value propositions and focus on restaurants, clearly articulate your unique selling proposition (USP). Emphasize what makes your platform different and better than existing solutions. Is it ease of use, cost savings, better customer service, or something else entirely?
  5. Offer personalized help or consulting to premium users. Many restaurants, especially smaller ones, may need assistance setting up and using the platform effectively. Providing dedicated support can be a strong selling point.
  6. Test different pricing approaches with small groups. Experiment with different pricing tiers and feature bundles to find the optimal combination that maximizes revenue and customer satisfaction. Consider a tiered pricing model based on order volume or restaurant size.
  7. Based on feedback from similar product launches, ensure your platform offers a seamless mobile experience for both restaurants and customers. Many users access these platforms on their phones, so mobile-friendliness is crucial.
  8. Address the common criticism of needing integration into existing platforms by exploring partnerships with complementary services. Consider integrations with POS systems, accounting software, or even smaller, niche delivery services to offer a more comprehensive solution.

Questions

  1. What specific premium features can you offer that will justify restaurants paying for your platform, especially when they're already hesitant to pay for similar solutions?
  2. How will you differentiate your platform from the numerous other direct online ordering solutions already available, given that many similar products are also trying to address the need to cut third-party fees?
  3. Considering the feedback on similar products regarding onboarding, what steps will you take to ensure a smooth and intuitive experience for restaurants, especially those with limited technical expertise?

Your are here

You're entering a market with a good number of similar products (n_matches = 21), which means there's validation for the idea of direct online ordering for restaurants. This also means higher competition, so differentiation will be key. The category of "Freemium" suggests people like these solutions but hesitate to pay. You'll need to figure out what unique value you can offer that restaurants will happily pay for, especially given that the engagement (avg n_comments = 13) in similar products is high, which suggests that restaurants are actively looking for these solutions. Based on user feedback for similar products, an effective onboarding experience is crucial, and many restaurants are looking to avoid high third-party delivery platform fees, so highlighting cost savings is an excellent way to resonate with potential customers.

Recommendations

  1. Given the 'Freemium' category, start by offering a basic version for free. Focus on core functionality like menu display and order taking. This will get restaurants on board and allow you to gather feedback for future development.
  2. Identify which restaurants get the most value from the free version. Which types of restaurants are using your platform most effectively? What features are they using the most? Understand their specific pain points to tailor premium features that directly address their needs.
  3. Create premium features that directly help these restaurants even more. Consider features like advanced analytics, marketing tools, loyalty programs, or integrations with accounting software. This is where you create the value that justifies a paid subscription.
  4. Given the criticism of similar products regarding unclear value propositions and focus on restaurants, clearly articulate your unique selling proposition (USP). Emphasize what makes your platform different and better than existing solutions. Is it ease of use, cost savings, better customer service, or something else entirely?
  5. Offer personalized help or consulting to premium users. Many restaurants, especially smaller ones, may need assistance setting up and using the platform effectively. Providing dedicated support can be a strong selling point.
  6. Test different pricing approaches with small groups. Experiment with different pricing tiers and feature bundles to find the optimal combination that maximizes revenue and customer satisfaction. Consider a tiered pricing model based on order volume or restaurant size.
  7. Based on feedback from similar product launches, ensure your platform offers a seamless mobile experience for both restaurants and customers. Many users access these platforms on their phones, so mobile-friendliness is crucial.
  8. Address the common criticism of needing integration into existing platforms by exploring partnerships with complementary services. Consider integrations with POS systems, accounting software, or even smaller, niche delivery services to offer a more comprehensive solution.

Questions

  1. What specific premium features can you offer that will justify restaurants paying for your platform, especially when they're already hesitant to pay for similar solutions?
  2. How will you differentiate your platform from the numerous other direct online ordering solutions already available, given that many similar products are also trying to address the need to cut third-party fees?
  3. Considering the feedback on similar products regarding onboarding, what steps will you take to ensure a smooth and intuitive experience for restaurants, especially those with limited technical expertise?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 21
  • Engagement: High
    • Average number of comments: 13
  • Net use signal: 5.5%
    • Positive use signal: 7.7%
    • Negative use signal: 2.3%
  • Net buy signal: -0.8%
    • Positive buy signal: 1.2%
    • Negative buy signal: 2.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

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