"Do You Want Fast Delivery?" "No"... The Formula for Delivery Has Changed

Transition to "Conditional Choices" Weighing Delivery Fees, Minimum Orders, and Discounts
Nine Out of Ten Consumers Say "Delivery Fees Are Expensive"... Cost Now Trumps Speed
Delivery Market Shifts from Expansion to a Stage Where Only "Surviving

Eight out of ten consumers now consider delivery fees to be expensive. Although delivery has become a routine part of the domestic dining-out market since the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are increasingly making delivery decisions as high-involvement purchases, only choosing delivery when the price and conditions are right.

According to a survey on delivery usage behavior by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) released on January 26, 89.5% of respondents said current delivery fees are "expensive" or "somewhat expensive." This indicates that dissatisfaction with delivery fees has evolved from a simple perception of cost to a structural awareness that makes consumers hesitate to order delivery at all. In contrast, the proportion of respondents who felt the fees were "appropriate" remained in the single digits. Delivery fees are no longer seen as a tolerable convenience cost, but have become the primary barrier determining whether or not to place an order.

Consumers' perceptions of a reasonable delivery fee further clarify this trend. 81.7% of respondents said a reasonable delivery fee should be 2,000 won or less. Many even considered 1,000 won or 1,500 won to be the appropriate threshold. The moment the delivery fee exceeds 2,000 won, delivery is eliminated as an option altogether. This reveals a clear psychological upper limit for delivery charges.

This shift in perception is transforming the entire delivery order process. In the past, choosing a menu item would immediately lead to an order. Now, consumers evaluate the total payment amount, minimum order amount, discounts, and delivery method one by one before deciding to place an order. If the conditions are not met during this process, the order is canceled, and consumers either opt for takeout, visit the restaurant in person, or choose a completely different dining option. Delivery is no longer an automatic substitute for dining out, but rather a secondary choice considered only when it is not disadvantageous compared to eating out.

'The Value of Fast Delivery Is Declining... Platform Loyalty Is Crumbling, Only Conditions Remain'

This change is also evident in how consumers choose delivery methods. As of 2025, the share of economical delivery options reached 33.0%, up 7.1 percentage points from the previous year. Meanwhile, the shares of single-household and standard deliveries declined. This means consumers are no longer willing to pay extra for slightly faster service. Speed, once the core competitive edge of delivery, has become a lower priority, while cost-saving methods have become central to consumer choices.

This suggests that the value proposition delivery services have emphasized is reaching its limits. Speed and convenience are still important, but they are no longer decisive factors that justify higher prices. Delivery is now competing not as "the fastest service," but as "the least disadvantageous option."

The change in delivery ordering methods reflects the same trend. While the proportion of orders placed through delivery apps has increased, the use of brand-specific apps has dropped significantly. This does not indicate increased loyalty to particular platforms or brands, but rather a stronger tendency for consumers to move to channels that offer the best prices and benefits. Consumers no longer stick to a single channel; they simply move to wherever the discounts, coupons, and delivery fee conditions are most favorable. Delivery consumption has shifted from being about lock-in to being about comparison and mobility.

Public delivery apps are also subject to this conditional consumption structure. In fact, only 54.3% of users expressed satisfaction or higher, remaining at about half, and the proportion of "average" responses was also high. When price benefits are clear, public delivery apps are chosen, but otherwise, consumers return to private delivery apps. Rather than being a true alternative that changes the delivery market, public delivery apps function more as a supplementary tool that is used only when cost conditions are met.

Although delivery demand did not disappear last year, the conditions for allowing delivery became much stricter than before. Consumers have taken delivery out of the realm of everyday convenience goods and placed it on the same table of comparison and judgment as dining out. The delivery market has moved beyond a phase of expansion, where the goal was to generate more orders, and entered a phase of sophistication, where only orders that meet stricter criteria survive.