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Food Delivery Apps Keep Climbing the Charts

July 25th, 2025

Food Delivery Apps Keep Climbing the Charts
Anh Nguyen

by Anh Nguyen

COO & Co-Founder at Gummicube, Inc

Food delivery is now the fastest-growing app category worldwide, according to the newly released 2025 Food Delivery App Report. The industry saw a major surge in year-over-year revenue throughout 2024, with grocery delivery making a notable comeback after a post-pandemic slowdown. While the early boom brought on by the pandemic has tapered off, consumer spending has clearly evolved.

What does this mean for your app store strategy for your food delivery app? With new markets fueling global growth and legacy players consolidating power, the competitive landscape is evolving. To stay relevant, food and grocery delivery apps need to respond quickly to market movement, consumer behavior, and emerging opportunities. This is where App Store Optimization (ASO) can set your app up for long-term success through a data-driven strategy that appeals to your target audience.

Let’s explore what’s changing in the food delivery space and how your ASO strategy can stay sharp in response.

GROWTH IN FOOD DELIVERY APPS ISN’T SLOWING DOWN

Global food delivery app revenue reached new heights in 2024, signaling sustained consumer interest. Even with inflationary pressures and a decline in promotional freebies, people continue to rely on food and grocery delivery platforms as part of their daily routines.

Food delivery has become an essential part of daily life. While the market has matured, its continued growth shows there is still plenty of opportunity for new and existing apps.

Key figures:

  • Food delivery revenue grew 15.5%, reaching $114.5 billion
  • Grocery delivery revenue hit $22.8 billion, signaling a strong rebound
  • Subscription models are gaining traction, with DoorDash reporting 22 million premium subscribers

From an ASO perspective, this reinforces the value of investing in visibility. A mature yet growing market means users are actively searching for food delivery solutions, making category rank, keyword performance, and conversion rates more important than ever.

EMERGING APP MARKETS ARE DRIVING THE FUTURE

One of the most striking findings in the report is that regional growth is now outpacing global averages. South America, Southeast Asia, and India are becoming strongholds of user adoption and revenue expansion.

Highlights include:

  • South America saw 31.2% growth, powered by iFood, Rappi, and PedidosYa
  • Southeast Asia’s market grew by 20%, with Grab and Foodpanda gaining traction
  • India’s food delivery sector reached $3.3 billion in revenue, driven by Zomato and Swiggy
  • China remains dominant, generating over $40 billion

This explosive growth outside of the United States and Western Europe reflects shifting consumer behavior and increasing smartphone penetration. Users in these regions are downloading food apps and integrating them into their daily routines.

To compete in the app market today, you must prioritize cultural nuance and regional discovery patterns through app localization. Users in India, for example, may search with completely different keywords from those in Brazil, even when looking for similar services. Creative app assets that resonate in North America may fall flat in Southeast Asia.

Targeting these high-growth markets through localized app listings and custom product pages can position your app to do well in newer regions.

WHY LOCALIZATION IS A CRITICAL ASO STRATEGY

If your app is seeing regular growth, app localization should be a topic of discussion for your team. This process gives you a competitive advantage in new markets where demand could be accelerating. Emerging regions are adopting food delivery apps at high rates, and localized app store listings can be the difference in whether your app is getting discovered or buried under your competitors.

Successful mobile app localization includes:

  • Translating metadata into the dominant regional language
  • Adjusting tone and messaging to align with local consumer behavior
  • Updating screenshots and preview videos with culturally relevant creatives
  • Identifying region-specific high-volume keywords through ASO tools

Mobile app localization also plays a key role in meeting diverse consumer expectations across regions. In high-growth markets, aligning with local preferences, such as value and regional relevance, could significantly improve engagement and conversion rates.

If your ASO strategy hasn’t yet included a localization plan, now is the time to consider if it is a goal you should include in your ASO strategy. 

Staying Competitive Requires Strategic ASO

STAYING COMPETITIVE REQUIRES STRATEGIC ASO

The 2025 report also highlights industry shakeups and consolidations. DoorDash has now surpassed Meituan in market valuation, and Uber Eats has overtaken Meituan as the top-grossing single app globally. Meanwhile, Grubhub’s acquisition at a fraction of its original valuation is a stark reminder of the pressures facing rapid-delivery startups.

For developers and marketers, this means one thing: fewer apps are commanding more attention. Competing in this space requires excellence across all elements of your app store listing.

A sound ASO strategy includes:

  • Regularly perform mobile app A/B testing and update your screenshots to stay fresh
  • Monitoring your app keywords and their ranking, and adjusting your ASO strategy accordingly
  • Responding quickly to changes in store policies or regional shifts

A successful app in any category must stay fresh in its app listing. The app store is dynamic, and static listings can quickly fall behind.

User expectations around food delivery apps are constantly shifting. As competition increases and market dynamics evolve, it is no longer enough to focus solely on downloads. A successful ASO strategy must support both acquisition and long-term engagement.

This means treating your app store presence as an extension of your full user journey. From the keywords that drive visibility to the creatives that influence conversion, every element should reflect what your audience values most.

Some effective ASO approaches include:

  • Highlighting new app promotions or loyalty programs in your screenshots
  • Incorporating high-volume keywords tied to relevant value
  • Using Custom Product Pages to tailor messages by region
  • Regularly mobile app A/B testing visuals to refine what drives installs and retention

Keeping your app listing updated and aligned with changing behavior ensures your app stays competitive. 

ASO BEST PRACTICES FOR FOOD DELIVERY APPS

The opportunities in the food and grocery delivery space are massive, but so is the competition. Here are some high-level ASO practices every food app should be prioritizing:

  • Regular App Keyword Optimization: Monitor keyword trends in your primary and secondary regions. Use ASO tools that provide insight into volume and competitor rankings. Don’t be afraid to rotate keywords based on seasonality or emerging consumer trends.
  • Creative Mobile App A/B Testing: Try variations in screenshot design, value proposition messaging, and icon changes to see what could increase your app conversions.
  • Localized Custom Product Pages: Use CPPs to create multiple versions of your listing targeted to different audience segments or regions. Highlight exclusive offers or features that may only apply to certain markets.
  • Focus on Retention Hooks: Include messaging around your food delivery app’s unique features, such as: loyalty rewards, delivery tracking improvements, or subscription perks. Utilize these elements in your screenshots or descriptions to appeal to returning users.
  • Track App Performance by Region: Don’t just look at global metrics. Break down performance by country to understand where growth is occurring, and which markets may need more targeted attention if you are jumping into the world of app localization.

When applied correctly, these ASO best practices can keep your app ahead of trends, adaptable to market movement, and ready to outperform in a competitive space.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The food delivery market is proving to be one of the most resilient and lucrative app categories. With global revenues up, emerging markets scaling quickly, and major players doubling down on ASO strategies, this is not the time to sit back and hope your listing holds up.

Instead, use this data as a springboard. Whether you're expanding into Latin America, refreshing your screenshots to highlight new app loyalty programs, or simply optimizing for new keywords, now is the time to take action.

Your listing is your storefront. It needs to evolve alongside consumer behavior, market shifts, and competitive activity. ASO, when done correctly, is a data-driven strategy that ensures your app doesn’t just exist in the store, but stands out.

LET’S CHAT

Whether you are expanding your food delivery app into new markets or refining your metadata to improve search performance, staying ahead of industry trends is key. Gummicube’s ASO services help apps in competitive categories like food and grocery delivery stay visible, relevant, and optimized. Let’s connect and explore how your ASO strategy can evolve with the market.

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