A new study into the pizza-eating habits of people who live in the APAC region has revealed that mushrooms are the most popular topping and Australians are the most likely of all the nations surveyed to order theirs home delivered.
The study by research firm YouGov interviewed pizza lovers from nine APAC countries including Australia, China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore.
In terms of what people like on a pizza, the research finds that the region’s favourite topping is mushrooms, which are a favourite with nearly two thirds of APAC residents (65 per cent). Mushrooms are particularly popular with older generations; 71 per cent of over 55s consider mushrooms to be one of their favourite pizza toppings, compared with 56 per cent of those aged 16-24.
Joining mushrooms as APAC’s most popular pizza toppings are chicken (53 per cent), beef (52 per cent), onions (47 per cent) and pineapple (45 per cent). Meanwhile sweetcorn, tuna, olives and chillies are the least popular of the options given, disliked by 25 per cent, 24 cent, 22 cent and 21 per cent of respondents, respectively.
As with liked ingredients, there is a correlation between consumers’ age and the toppings they dislike. For instance, onions are disliked as a pizza topping by more than a fifth of 16-24 year olds (22 per cent) but disliked by just 13 per cent of those over 55.
Phoning up is the most widely used means to order pizza
Pizza on the go is big business, with 55 per cent of those polled preferring to order take away or delivery services over eating pizza in a restaurant. This rises to as much as 81 per cent in Australia, where four-fifths of consumers say their favourite way to eat pizza is to use either takeaway or delivery services.
But despite new technologies offering ever more convenient means of ordering fast food, just one in 10 consumers (11 per cent) prefer to use apps to order pizza.
Chinese consumers are the most likely to use apps to order pizza delivery, with a quarter of consumers (26 per cent) preferring to use apps to order their delivery. Consumers in Philippines and Thailand are the least likely to use an app as their normal way of ordering; just four per cent of those polled do so to order pizza.
Across the region, phoning up is the most widely used means to order pizza, favoured by 44 per cent of those polled, followed by ordering online, used by 29 per cent of respondents.
When it comes to pizza delivery, it seems old habits die hard. App developers and deliveries services take note: it still seems like there’s still a way to go before consumers are ready to switch to new technologies for their pizza Margherita.
APAC respondents like thin crust more than cheese-stuffed and thick crust
When it comes to the crust, another generational divide emerges. Cheese-stuffed crusts are the most popular among young people but the least popular among older generations; 40 per cent of 16-24 year olds say their favourite type of crust is cheese-stuffed, almost double the number of those aged 55-plus who share the same view (22 per cent). By contrast, the majority of over 55s (51 per cent) prefer thin-crust pizza. Thick crust is the least popular type of crust, favoured by 21 per cent of all respondents.
