Why strategy teams need to look beyond the obvious rivals

The surprising stat that shifts the narrative

When you think of food delivery, the big names come to mind—McDonald’s, Taco Bell, maybe Domino’s. They dominate ad budgets and boardroom conversations. But RealityMine data tells a different story: our measurement of app and web activity by real US consumers shows that the top 10 QSR brands account for just 37% of delivery orders.

The rest (63%) comes from mid-tier brands, regional chains, and local independents. These long-tail players are driving surprising volume, and most QSRs don’t have them on their radar.

Why this is a blind spot for strategy teams

The focus on big brands is understandable. They’re easy to benchmark, visible in most aggregator reports, and often seen as the standard for success. But working from assumptions and conventional wisdom alone can leave teams blind to where the real competition—and opportunity—lives.

Aggregator reports typically focus on top-line performance and often lack the depth needed to understand real customer behaviour. They're delayed, limited in behavioural context, and may reflect the platform’s reporting priorities more than your strategic needs. This leaves QSRs and delivery platforms unable to see:

• Which merchants are capturing share-of-stomach

• How effective promotions really are—both their own and competitors’

• Which promotions increase AOVs

• What’s driving diners to switch between apps

• Where performance varies by region, day part, or customer demographic

• What the long tail of independent restaurants tells the market about changing delivery and menu preferences—and just how fragmented and competitive the space really is

The local chain that ate your lunch

Imagine a mid-tier burger chain running a well-timed promo in a handful of cities. You don’t see it in your aggregator dashboard. But in RealityMine’s data? You spot a spike in orders, app switching behaviour, and promo interaction—all at the expense of your brand’s usual traffic.

That’s the kind of competitive blind spot that can quietly erode market share.

Seeing the world differently

Working with real-world data on actual customer behaviour gives a more realistic view of the marketplace. Through opt-in mobile panels, RealityMine goes beyond what consumers remember or report to reveal  

• Which delivery apps they open and how frequently

• Which merchants and restaurants they browse and order from

• Which promotions influence purchasing decisions – and which bleed revenue  

• When and why users abandon baskets and head for competitors

• And how performance shifts over time, across demographics, locations, and dayparts

This goes far beyond top-line aggregator dashboards. It offers real-time competitive intelligence that helps merchants and restaurants react quickly, optimise digital execution, and make better investment decisions.

“Most platforms only show the headline players. We help you uncover the real sources of volume—and what’s driving customers to choose them.”

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