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The demand for instant gratification is reshaping how Europeans shop, with speed and convenience driving new behaviours and opportunities across grocery and retail. On-demand delivery is no longer a luxury, but a key part of modern life, creating a more spontaneous, flexible approach to everyday purchases. Guido Fambach, EVP of sales at Just Eat, tells us more.

On-demand delivery – the delivery of items in under an hour – is no longer a luxury; it is the new standard for convenience. The need for instant gratification, the ability to get what you want, when you want it, has reshaped consumer expectations. What began as a premium service for restaurants quickly transformed into an essential part of modern life, particularly as consumers seek to reclaim control and gain back time in increasingly complex and demanding routines.

This shift extends throughout all aspects of retail. Whether it’s clicking to purchase an influencer’s recommendation of the latest beauty fad on social media or even buying and receiving a games console only an hour after trying out a friend’s, the need for speed is evident in our day-to-day lives.

The rise of on-demand

In the food and drink industry, the rapid expansion of on-demand grocery is the clearest evidence of this shift towards immediacy. This is the segment where speed is actively redefining shopping habits. The European on-demand grocery market, valued at a substantial $11.19 billion in 2024, is growing fast, with orders predicted to grow by 7% year-on-year (CAGR 2025-2030), resulting in a projected market volume of $17.5 billion by 2030. By 2030, it is expected that 11% of the European population will be using quick grocery services.

We have witnessed this first-hand. Just Eat's on-demand grocery Gross Transaction Value (GTV) soared by +152% in two years, and our grocery customer base grew by 40% in the last twelve months. And consumers are showing no sign of moving away from this way of shopping, with 90% of our on-demand grocery customers stating they plan to order the same amount or more next year.

When we dive into the behaviours driving this transformation, we find that this reality is not a consequence of people replacing the weekly shop. Instead, on-demand delivery is proving to be highly incremental, fitting into the spontaneous, urgent moments of modern life.

Based on our consumer behaviour research, three-quarters of early adopters of on-demand delivery services report that these orders are an addition to their regular shopping routine. The data shows why: from a last-minute pizza to snacks for a night in, people are increasingly 'topping up' in real time rather than planning ahead. Even basic essentials, like tea bags, are part of this trend. All these orders are driven by immediate need, not planned shopping.

For frequent users of on-demand delivery services, this urgency is even shifting to routine. While new users anticipate using the service as a 'lifesaver,' frequent shoppers are 2.3x more likely to report that their purchases are now planned, treating the service as a 'reliable companion' for strategic convenience. Based on our research, early adopters estimate that on-demand accounts for at least 20% of their weekly grocery basket, much of which they believe did not previously exist. This means that while instant gratification might be the way for consumers to start shopping in this way, it quickly becomes part of their routine.

Taking back control

At the crux of this behaviour is a simple truth – people want control. In a hectic world, on-demand delivery offers an emotional reward: gaining back time and a sense of convenience. For consumers surveyed, 90% prioritise having more control over their choices, time, and lifestyle. This feeling is deeply linked to speed; 77% agree that 'knowing I can get what I need in under an hour feels like taking back control in a busy world'. Early adopters of on-demand delivery services report that they gain back a minimum of 30 minutes that would otherwise have been spent travelling to and navigating the supermarket.

The complementary benefit is avoiding the acute pain points of traditional shopping. A stunning 93% of early adopters have reported experiencing pain points in-store: one in two consumers reported struggling with long checkout queues or crowded stores, and one in five experiences sensory overload. In contrast, on-demand delivery is perceived as 3x more stress-free and 1.5x more comforting than in-store shopping.

This is a moment of opportunity for supermarkets, grocers, and convenience stores looking to put the high street directly into people’s pockets. Understanding the drivers of consumer behaviour and their specific shopping habits is the key to making informed decisions about effective channel amplification strategies.

To successfully capture this accelerating demand for speed and spontaneity, brands must rely on flawless logistics services. Enabling the required delivery immediacy demands an optimised logistics network – one that can not only meet the precise needs of both partners and customers but also dynamically adapt to rapid fluctuations in demand caused by peak hours, traffic congestion and weather conditions.

For instance, delivery-as-a-service propositions allow for stores and brands to tap into courier networks and meet their needs for speed without needing to list on their marketplace. This way, convenience stores still manage the end-to-end consumer journey, but delivery services fulfil the last-mile delivery service.

Shopping options which enable couriers to shop at stores on behalf of the customer and collect pre-packed orders also boost convenience. This maximises speed and eases the operational burden of having to search stock for products and prepare orders for pickup.

On-demand delivery has proven to be more than a convenience feature; it is a fundamental shift in consumer habits, driven by the desire for control and instant gratification. For grocers and convenience stores, the future is not about if they embrace this new reality, but how effectively they can partner to access an adaptive logistics infrastructure necessary to meet this dynamic, spontaneous demand.