Results from Stiftung Warentest The best food delivery services

Düsseldorf · Stiftung Warentest compared and rated six food delivery service providers. More than one of them were convincing.

 Rewe's delivery service - just like its competitor Bringmeister - was rated 2.1.

Rewe's delivery service - just like its competitor Bringmeister - was rated 2.1.

Foto: Rewe Group

A delivery service can be a great option for anyone with limited mobility or with not enough time to shop for groceries and drugstore products. The consumer organisation Stiftung Warentest has tested both the providers Flink, Gorillas and Getir, which promise delivery within a few minutes, and the delivery services Bringmeister, Flaschenpost and Rewe, which promise delivery within a few hours to a few days. Gorillas has been part of Getir since the end of 2022, but is a separate provider.

How was the test carried out?

A shopping basket with twelve refrigerated, fragile and heavy comparable products was ordered from all six providers via the respective app. The groceries were then delivered to test households in Berlin, Munich and - for the express services - also to Düsseldorf. Delivery service, delivery time and punctuality, the ordering and payment service, general customer service, data protection and deficiencies in the general terms and conditions were evaluated. The tests took place in November and December 2022.

How many people use a delivery service?

As part of a June 2021 study of Germany by Appinio and Spryker on the topic of e-food in, 2507 people between the ages of 16 and 65 were asked how often they use delivery services for food. According to the survey, the majority of respondents only shop in stores, while only a small proportion exclusively use online services such as Gorillas, Flink, Picnic or other providers for their weekly shopping. However, there are major differences in the results between the population in the countryside and in the city: since the range of online supermarket services is greater in large cities than in smaller towns, people there are also more likely to use such providers. Especially quick delivery services like Gorillas and Flink are just starting to expand their services to cities below the 500,000 population limit, the study says. So the growth potential in the industry remains enormous.

Which express delivery service won the test?

None of the providers failed to pass, but all three were only rated satisfactory. Flink and Gorillas won the test. Flink was convincing as the fastest delivery service, all orders arrived within 13 to 24 minutes and were almost always on time. However, some products were sometimes missing and could not be ordered. Also, the chilled goods at Flink were not cold enough, and the app offered hardly any information about the ordering and payment process.

At Gorillas, the fast delivery time was also praised, and the app was also rated as informative, as it provided the best information about Gorillas' offers and a helpful question and answer section. Gorillas was also unable to deliver some products, and one meat order arrived damaged. Gorillas was the only company in the test that did not issue an invoice.

What do the providers themselves say about Stiftung Warentest's criticism?

In addition to Rewe and Flaschenpost, a spokesperson for Flink also contacted our editorial team by e-mail after we requested all six delivery services for comments. He writes: "Our goods are delivered fresh every day, and due to high demand we may occasionally, specifically and locally be sold out goods. However, these are restocked as quickly as possible, usually the following day. The goods are of course chilled to all specifications in our hubs and then delivered to the customer within minutes using our dedicated chilled bags."

Which of the other three food delivery services impressed?

In the services that promised delivery within a few hours or days, Rewe and Bringmeister won the test; both providers were rated 2.1 (good). They were praised for their clear app, which provides comprehensive information in each case. In the case of Rewe, the faultless goods were also positively highlighted, and the chilled goods were also at an optimal temperature. However, the provider was criticised for its long delivery times, as same-day delivery was not possible in the test.

Bringmeister was praised for the largest selection of products and its long opening hours - in Berlin and Munich, for example, it delivers from Monday to Saturday between 6 a.m. and midnight, according to its website. However, the company was criticised for its high minimum order value, which is 40 euros (excluding deposit and delivery fees). For comparison: at Rewe, the minimum order value is between 35 and 50 euros and depends on which region you have your shopping delivered to (Düsseldorf city centre: 50 euros). At Flaschenpost, the minimum order value is 29 euros.

Original article: Lena Steffens

Translation: Jean Lennox

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