Online takeaway services sees sign-up success

A BLACKPOOL-based online takeaway ordering company says it has seen a near 18-fold increase in store sign-ups since its launch.

Eat It Now was only formally launched six months ago but has already increased the number of takeaways on its books from 198 to almost 3,200.

The company, which has grown from five to 17 staff, is expecting continued steady growth and is aiming to have around 9,000 takeaways across the country signed-up by December 2010.

The site allows consumers to locate takeaway restaurants in their area, browse menus, select items and pay by either cash or credit card. The system keeps the customer up to date with the progress of their order and expected delivery times through the web, email and SMS services.

It takes a small charge from the takeaway provider for the service.

Jonathan Lang, managing director of Eat It Now, said: “Takeaway owners are increasingly aware of the opportunities in online ordering, but few have the technical resources to set up and manage their own system.

“We have built an offering that lets restaurant owners manage their own menus and prices, and which is a great deal more user friendly for both takeaways and consumers than many of our competitors’ sites. This has been key to our success over the past six months, and I hope it’s a trend that will continue for the rest of the year.”

The company was set up in 2008, during which time the software and infrastructure was developed and an eight month trial run with 180 stores in the North West.

A localised loyal customer base to the site was established, with orders in top performing takeaway stores surpassing the 50 orders per week mark, with an average order value of £13.50.

The company attracted further investment and new management, ready for its national launch in August 2009.