Staff members from food delivery service Need Nutrition in Beijing gather for a promotional image for healthy eating.(Photo provided to China Daily)
Although the service has a loyal following of just a few hundred people, its client base is growing quickly and steadily without any marketing activity, relying mainly on word of mouth, Wei said.
About 40 percent of first-timers eventually become regular clients, he added.
Many of the online-to-offline services are available through WeChat and apps.
Sweetie Salad, a pioneer in the field, claims to have more than 1 million followers on WeChat.
Yu Wenlu, also known as Vivian, a co-founder and chief marketing officer for Sweetie Salad, said the company was created in 2014 after its founders noticed a craving among people for delivery of healthy food, and it has enjoyed rapid growth ever since. The company has more than 170 staff members and has also established a branch in Shanghai.
Yu is confident of a strong market, saying that people are increasingly aware of healthy eating.
About 70 percent of Sweetie Salad customers are females, and the customers are young－about 90 percent are between 20 to 40 years old, and 60 percent are people ages 20 to 30, Yu said.
