Many domestic companies have digitalized their operations with Wolt, with shops and restaurants joining the platform mainly due to extra orders

Wolt’s parent company has published the latest results of its annual Local Commerce Report, conducted among its merchant partners. According to the company’s estimates, the quick-commerce platform generated a total revenue of around 5 billion euros for its local merchant partners, restaurants and shops participating in the survey.

Courier shortage and unpredictability: why restaurants turn to platforms

According to the survey, the vast majority of Wolt’s partners believe that digital platforms are essential to their operations. Looking at all Wolt markets, 83 percent of businesses present on these platforms said that digital platforms are important for their business activities, while 35 percent believe they would not offer delivery services on their own if such platforms did not exist. Another key finding is that many partners choose to cooperate with platforms because of the unpredictability of order volumes (41%) and the difficulty of recruiting couriers (39%). Due to the long-standing labor shortage in the hospitality and retail sectors, maintaining their own delivery network poses a serious challenge for many businesses. Wolt and similar quick-commerce solutions relieve them of this burden by providing the logistics of delivery, courier recruitment and customer service – enabling stores and restaurants to focus on their products and customer experience.

Many Hungarian companies have digitalized their business through Wolt

The survey shows that for many Hungarian restaurants and stores, Wolt serves as the gateway to digitalization: 38 percent of respondents said that Wolt helped them digitalize their operations, while more than a quarter (27%) said they would not have an online presence without the cooperation with the platform. More than three-quarters (77%) of Hungarian merchant respondents stated that being present on the platform is important or very important for their business.

Local shoppers do not disappear because of delivery orders

More than half (55%) of Hungarian partner companies participating in the survey said that their greatest benefit from cooperating with Wolt was that it increased their in-store or on-premise sales. Every second business also said it allowed them to reach customers who would otherwise not shop with them. This demonstrates that online ordering does not replace but complements traditional shopping: people still like to buy locally, but when time or convenience is an issue, they can still choose the same local stores through Wolt.

A total of 86 percent reported that their in-store or restaurant traffic increased or remained stable after joining the Wolt platform, with only a negligible share reporting the opposite. This shows that introducing an online ordering option does not reduce the proportion of in-person shoppers and guests – instead, the platform brings previously untapped, extra revenue to these businesses.

“Through our platform, we make shopping simpler and more convenient for our users by enabling them to source products from local shops instead of remote warehouses. Orders placed through Wolt support local merchants and restaurants, keeping the money spent within the town or region’s community and strengthening local life and the economy.”

– commented Orsolya Hartyányi, General Manager of Wolt Hungary, on the survey results.

Thus, Wolt not only supports the spread of online shopping but also contributes to sustaining local economies and accelerating digital transformation.

Without quick-commerce platforms, many would stop offering delivery

The expansion of quick commerce in Hungary is further illustrated by the fact that 28 percent of Hungarian respondents said they would completely stop offering delivery if platforms like Wolt ceased to exist. In addition, 33 percent of the Hungarian businesses surveyed said running their own courier service would be too time-consuming, while 32 percent consider recruiting and retaining couriers a major challenge.

According to the report, the absence of quick-commerce platforms would not only lead to a drop in revenue and customer numbers – nearly one-fifth of Hungarian respondents said that thanks to Wolt, their customer satisfaction levels had improved.

About the survey: The results of the Local Commerce Report are based on Wolt’s comprehensive data analysis and a non-representative survey conducted among 4,624 consumers and 2,413 retailers in 23 European and Asian countries, including Hungary. The research was carried out between December 2024 and May 2025 in collaboration with the research institutes Copenhagen Economics and Taloustutkimus. The full report is available at www.localcommerceinsights.com.