I recently came across an online platform that foodies (like myself) will absolutely love: Yummly.com. This online food platform brings together recipes from all over the web to create the ultimate online cookbook. Searching for recipes that exactly match your taste and needs of the occasion, has never been easier!  Ok, so maybe I am a little behind on the facts, this yummy food platform was created in 2009 and has become the fastest growing food site in the world, with over 15 million users today.

So what is Yummly exactly?  According to their website:

Yummly was launched in 2010 by foodies on  a mission to invent the ultimate kitchen tool. Whether it’s finding a recipe or going to the store, Yummly wants to make it easier for foodies to do what they love – Cook, eat and share! Yummly’s mission is to be the world’s largest, most powerful, and most helpful food site in the World.

Funny fact: founder and CEO Dave Feller got the idea for Yummly because he couldn’t find a way to easily search for recipes that include mustard!

So what has been the success factor of this new platform, that has made it better than the many other recipe websites?

First of all Yummly successfully makes use of recommendation agents (Xiao & Benbasat, 2007) that engage the user and increase the consumer satisfaction while using the platform, since it will decrease the information overload one may experience while browsing the site. Based on your personal preferences and search history it will suggests you recipes.

Another added value Yummly offer is the high tech search engine. It differentiates itself from other food websites by the powerful filters and search features. Not only can you search by ingredient, but also diet, allergy, nutrition, price, cuisine, time and so the list continues…  Search preferences may include your personal dietary wishes or include ingredients that you had still laying around in the cupboard. Other than that, the platform also gives you the opportunity to “like” recipes of your taste by clicking one simple button and collecting them in your own recipe box or sharing them with your friends through other social networks such as Facebook or Pinterest. Also, recipes show how many “yums” they have gotten in the past, creating at the same time a rating system.

Secondly, the user can also actively contribute to the site by adding recipes they have found online and are not on the platform yet. This way Yummly makes smart use of crowdsourcing  to add value to their online platform bringing in value co-creation with the consumer.

And last but not least, to make the lives of the novice cook even easier, they also have a youtube channel showing different How-To video’s for all your challenges in the kitchen:

And of course, there is now also an app.

–          Lianka

Sources:

• http://info.yummly.com/about/
• http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/21/yummlys-semantic-search-engine-is-the-ultimate-online-cookbook-for-foodies/
• http://www.techhive.com/article/2107940/smart-recipe-app-yummly-expands-its-palate-launches-on-ipad.html
• Majchrzak, A., and A. Malhotra. “Towards an information systems perspective and research agenda on crowdsourcing for innovation.” Journal of Strategic Information Systems 22.4 (2013)
• Murray, Kyle B., and Gerald Häubl. “Personalization without interrogation: towards more effective interactions between consumers and feature-based recommendation agents.” Journal of  Interactive Marketing 23.2 (2009)