With simple, digital payment, Norway's Foody achieves both growth and satisfied customers

A brilliant idea that sprung from a specific need

As consumers, we are concerned that a transaction should take place in as simple, fast, and flexible a way as possible. This applies not least when we are hungry and order food – where snaking lines, long wait times, and falling blood sugar put our mood and patience to the test.

When the pandemic arrived in Norway in 2020, the catering industry was hit hard. Suddenly, restaurants could no longer welcome customers into their premises; yet, at the same time, expenses for rent and for employee wages still had to be paid. The need for flexible, online solutions for food orders increased drastically, and it was precisely here that digital platforms, such as the Norwegian-developed solution getFOOD, came to the rescue of catering establishments when they needed it most.

The Norwegian company behind the solution, Foody, is one of the country’s leading experts in the field. They developed getFOOD during the pandemic as a support to a catering industry that experienced large financial losses. Their solution combines food ordering with a QR code, takeaway orders, table reservations— and infection tracking— all in one platform.

More flexible for restaurant guests

“getFOOD is a solution for online and mobile ordering of food and drink, which increases sales and simplifies logistics for catering establishments. At the same time, it makes it easier for end customers to find and order what they want,” says General Manager of Foody, Thor Nikolai Holum.

When customers sit down in one of the restaurants that use Foody’s solution, they can use their mobile phone to scan the QR code mounted on the various dining tables. They can then browse the restaurant’s menu, order the food they want, and pay directly in the solution – without having to download an app or create a user account. That way, they don’t have to wait for a waiter to come to them, and there are no queues in the restaurant either.

“For visitors, it is faster to get an overview of the menu and add what they want to order, with any additions. It is much easier to do this with the mobile phone than having to sit and remember what everyone should have. It is also a big advantage that they can pay for the food themselves directly in the payment solution,” says Thor.

All the catering establishments on Foody’s customer list have the opportunity to adapt the solution to their own needs, and they can easily update their products themselves. Furthermore, Foody’s solution has integrations with a number of different checkout systems.

To create as efficient an ordering system as possible, it must also be quick, easy, and safe for the end customers to pay for the food.

This is where Nets Easy comes into play, the payment solution Foody chose for getFOOD.

“Nets Easy plays a decisive role for us to be able to offer a full-fledged ordering system. When the customers have chosen what food and drink they will order, they are sent on to pay with Nets Easy. Here they can choose to pay with a debit/credit card or with Vipps. For the customer experience, it is important that the payment goes as smoothly as possible,” explains Thor.

He continues to explain that 90 percent of visitors choose to pay with Vipps. This is a fast and efficient way to pay, while also being a payment method that customers are accustomed to. Foody also plans to add Apple Pay to Nets Easy, so that they can satisfy the payment needs of even more food-loving Norwegians.

When asked why Foody chose to collaborate with Nets, Thor emphasizes the professional weight Nets has in the market. “The reason why we chose Nets was, first, that it is a well-established player, which is naturally a great security for us. In addition, Nets was able to offer good onboarding and follow-up. The integration of Nets Easy was very simple, and through smart integration codes, we can easily add new customers as users of the system,” he says.

Thor elaborates: “We are concerned that it should be as simple and painless as possible for the end customer to pay. Nets shares the same mindset, which is why we felt it was a good match. Nets Easy is a modern solution, has a user-friendly interface, and offers all the payment methods that end customers want to use.”

Today, there are over 80 satisfied catering establishments across Norway that use Foody’s solution.

Among these are the eateries in Hunderfossen Adventure Park, which have had great success with the solution. Here, stressed parents of young children previously had to stand in long queues to order, and then wait for the food to be prepared. At the same time, it was stressful for the young summer temporary workers who had to deal with the hungry crowds. “The biggest advantage is that guests don’t have to queue in front of the cashier to order what they want. With getFood, guests can find a table, relax while ordering food and drink, and then have it delivered to the table.

“We see that turnover has increased at some of the eateries that have adopted getFOOD,” says Mark Kruis, manager of the eateries at Hunderfossen Eventyrpark. Catering and accommodation Veggli Vertshus in Numedal, which has delivered good traditional Norwegian food to its guests for over 35 years, has also noticed that their customers appreciate the solution.

“The biggest advantages of Foody’s food ordering solution is that customers can easily order food and drink both at the outdoor restaurant and from home. This helps to reduce personnel costs, as the customer does part of the work themselves,” says Veggli Vertshus’ General Manager, Geir Halvorsen.

He explains that the solution increases the chance of additional sales, as options appear under each dish in the ordering solution. At the same time, they get good feedback from customers who say how easy it is to use (and how pleasant it is to skip waiting in line.) Also at Veggli Vertshus, Vipps is the most popular payment method among guests.

Sustained growth beyond the start-up phaseFoody constantly receives inquiries from new catering establishments that want to use their solution. The objective moving forward is to strengthen the position in the Norwegian market, where a potential expansion to other countries is a possibility in a few years. For Foody, it has been crucial to have good partners throughout.

“From being a startup to becoming a more established player, it has been important to have good partners behind us, who can provide the solutions we need to create a complete ordering system that customers are satisfied with. Nets is such a partner. They have helped us a lot in taking the next step,” concludes Thor Nikolai Holum, Foody’s General Manager.

With Nets on board, Foody can also take advantage of valuable market insights to stay up to date on consumer buying habits, payment trends and useful statistics that show how online shopping is developing. For example, Nets publishes periodic e-commerce reports and insights, monthly blog posts containing actionable tips, engaging newsletters, and even a quarterly e-magazine about the ecommerce landscape.

Would you like to hear more about how Nets can help your company to sell more online and take new market shares? Contact us today, and we’ll have a completely non-binding chat about the exciting way forward!