TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The number of Taiwan food stalls offering mobile payment grew 25 times over the past five years, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics (DGBAS).
According to a report released by DBGAS on Wednesday (May 29), as of June 2023, there were 233,000 stalls in Taiwan, a decrease of 74,000 or 23.95% compared to August 2018, per CNA. The main reasons for this decline were the acceleration of online shopping and delivery due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a decline in tourists.
Among the 233,000 stalls, snack, food, and beverage stalls were the highest, totaling 125,000, or 54%.
The report added that by June 2023, 28,512 stalls had adopted digital operations, accounting for 12.22% of stalls, an increase of 8.46% compared to 2018. Among the business categories, snack, food, and beverage stalls had the highest rate of digital operation adoption at 15.95%.
Regarding snack stalls, 19,957 had adopted digital operations, with 6,460 providing mobile payment options and 6,939 engaging in online sales through food delivery platforms, representing growth of 25.5 times and 3.5 times over the past five years.
“The pandemic is still the most important factor,” the DGBAS said. “This shift in consumer habits, with delivery platforms on the rise and online shopping becoming more widespread, has affected the survival of traditional stalls.”
From July 2022 to June 2023, vendor business revenue totaled NT$395 billion (US$12 billion), with an average revenue per vendor of NT$1.69 million and a profit of NT$533,000.