Students: the key to increasing your delivery orders

Deliveroo’s latest report explores how restaurants can grow their sales from students - a group that has increased their orders four times faster than any other on the platform in 2024

In September millions of university students across the country either left home for the very first time or returned for their second or third years. Now, not everyone turns up to university with the cooking skills of a Gordon Ramsay or a Marco Pierre-White - actually if we’re honest nobody does. Over the next few months every student flat will be sure to have its fair share of Kitchen Nightmares. But these are just some of many moments when delivery can come to the rescue of some very hungry students.

It’s therefore no surprise to learn that, according to Deliveroo​, orders from students have grown four times faster than any other group on the platform in 2024. 

For restaurants, those orders represent a whole load of potential. But how can you make the most of it? It doesn’t have to be complicated. Like any good student, you just need to do your homework and get to know their ordering habits.

For instance: students love a good deal. According to Deliveroo’s new report on students​, they are more than twice as likely to order meal deals, with 41% of student orders containing some kind of promotion or offer. 

This is something Byron came to know well in the spring of this year when they offered 15% off orders over £15. Across the two weeks they ran the offer their order value from students grew by 43%. With success juicier than one of their proper burgers it’s no surprise that Byron will be running the offer again this autumn.

And if you needed any more evidence that deals are a sure-fire way to find a place in the hearts of students then look no further than LEON, who increased their student orders by a massive 60% when they ran an offer of 25% off orders over £20. Like Byron, LEON will be running another similar campaign later this year.

It’s not just about deals however, it’s also important to be tuned into each and every moment where delivery can play a role in a student’s life. From the small ones like getting in late after a long study session where the last thing anybody wants to do is cook, to the big ones like a celebratory feast after a final exam.  

Deliveroo’s report helps you to understand these moments by turning them into actionable insight. Take those late night orders for example,  students are twice as likely to order late at night than other customers and restaurants can easily capitalise on this by extending their opening hours in student areas. 

The end of exam celebrations will be in full flow come the spring which is one of the busiest times for students on Deliveroo. With a little planning ahead and some well-timed deals and offers, restaurants can be a part of the celebrations, delivering a feast to the party.

Through their market leading student offering, Deliveroo Students, and extensive marketing campaigns across campuses, Deliveroo have built a loyal, engaged and exciting student audience. Byron, LEON and many others are already taking advantage of the potential students have to offer thanks to Deliveroo’s insights, tools and expertise, which have helped them get ahead of their competition and achieve a wealth of success.

Click here to read Deliveroo’s new Focus on: Students report​, which provides a bitesize education in the ordering habits of students and outlines the actions you can take to reach the hottest customer group on the platform.