How it’s now pushing the new era of quick commerce

What is brilliant pink, furry, and a very little cheeky at instances? It is ‘Pau-Pau’, the cute foodpanda model ambassador out on its adventures.

‘Pau-Pau’ was introduced early this calendar year as the new deal with of the model championing empowerment and sustainability across the area. Further than its free-spirited identity, ‘Pau-Pau’ is meant to guide foodpanda’s foray into a new decade of ever-transforming landscape. 

Immediately after 10 many years in Singapore, the company has long gone through a great deal of variations, like an update from its eye-catching orange in the previously times to the unmistakable pink that is now a acquainted sight on Singapore roadways.

Above the program of a decade, foodpanda has repeatedly enhanced its tech platform and consumer knowledge, as it continually reinvents by itself to develop into much more than just a food items shipping system. 

Further than offering just foods, it also provides convenience even though supporting a variety of group teams, and has rolled out several attributes and initiatives to confirm just that.

Forefronting the q-commerce sector

At present, consumers are progressively obtaining lesser quantities of items, as opposed to replacing a weekly meals shop.

Termed as ‘quick commerce’ (q-commerce), foodpanda had noticed that there was an increasing demand for providers that can enhance when customers want a thing delivered conveniently, and fast. Past just buying food stuff on-need, consumers also required other necessities this kind of as groceries and house merchandise delivered more successfully. 

For this reason, in 2019, foodpanda expanded its offerings to cater to this need. It rolled out an on-line grocery assistance identified as pandamart, featuring 24/7 grocery delivery in below 30 minutes and foodpanda outlets, an on the net vendor marketplace. 

Supplying on-need grocery delivery established foodpanda as a big participant in the q-commerce current market. The addition of more products and services also allowed it to swiftly changeover and adapt functions when the pandemic hit.

With the peak of Covid-19 bringing products and services to a standstill, most Singaporeans experienced to change to substitute methods for foods and groceries. foodpanda was the initially system to introduce contactless deliveries, and pandamart and foodpanda stores proved critical in offering an quick and risk-free way for clients to invest in groceries, treatment, and most importantly, Artwork kits.

Now, pandamart has 14 retailers islandwide, and retails about 5,000 products and solutions ranging from splendor and particular treatment items, to clean create. Meanwhile, foodpanda retailers has over 4,000 retailers – like familiar house names like 7-Eleven, Marks & Spencer, Xiaomi and Watsons – alongside heartland tiny-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). 

Regardless of the easing limitations, shoppers are nonetheless dependent on pandamart and foodpanda shops, and this is evident in its regular utilization advancement. To day, foodpanda owns Asia’s largest network of cloud grocery shops and warehouses and past 12 months, it led a new period of q-commerce with a 450 per cent calendar year-on-year development across Asia.

Connecting the community throughout Covid-19

Covid-19 threw the globe for a loop. The pandemic accelerated the want for firms to undertake electronic answers, this kind of as utilising shipping and delivery platforms. Realising the great importance of this, foodpanda described an financial investment of just about S$50 million across the area to assist local communities, as nicely as help several SMEs digitise.

foodpanda recognised that hawkers and impartial enterprises wrestle with technological calls for. Most have been outpaced and outskilled, or lacked funding to digitise their companies, top them to suspend or postpone their enterprises for worry of individual bankruptcy.

Some SMEs had been apprehensive to adopt electronic answers for the reason that they really do not understand how it is effective, but when the pandemic hit, they realised it was a requirement.

We experienced to assistance them proceed to set bread on others’ tables, as very well as their very own, by guiding them to digitise. In this way, we foster ‘digital inclusion’ by making it feasible for any service provider everywhere to take part in the new economic climate.

– Amirul Shah, Professional Director at foodpanda Singapore

Beating Covid-19 issues expected a local community effort. To genuinely have interaction with hawkers on the ground, 50 foodpanda staff-volunteers took to the streets for the duration of Phase Two Heightened Alert, reaching out to above 200 hawkers throughout 5 hawker centres in Singapore.

Not only did the staff-volunteers assist the hawkers on the ins and outs of the foodpanda app, they also assisted educate them about on the web food items delivery and the advantages of likely electronic for their companies.

Making alternatives and embracing expertise

foodpanda’s heart extends to the local community, but it also sits suitable at residence within its ‘panda riders’, who function challenging each and every day to assure orders get to homes securely.

Food stuff shipping and delivery platforms became a host for jobseekers during the pandemic, with about 60 per cent of meals shipping riders entering the supply industry through this period of time.

“Being a rider gave me a way to guidance myself all through the pandemic though I was in-concerning careers. I like possessing the freedom to pick out when I want to work and how considerably I want to earn. Even with my whole-time job now, I can do deliveries anytime my routine permits to generate more,” stated 32-calendar year-aged Jonathan Tee, who has been a foodpanda rider since 2019.

In addition, with Covid-19 proving to be a hard time for everyone, foodpanda also introduced a variety of in-residence initiatives that set rider welfare at the forefront. For instance, riders are entitled to cost-free psychological overall health help by the Intellect app. 

They are also safeguarded by a complimentary insurance plan offer whilst they are on change, to give them a peace of thoughts although they operate tough to supply orders. For individuals in search of supplemental security, very affordable insurance plan offers are also available for riders and their households by way of several insurance plan associates.

To really encourage upskilling, foodpanda has collaborated with cellular micro-learning system Gnowbe and Temasek Polytechnic to provide its riders access to an e-mastering platform, letting them to further upskill by themselves. The portal allows riders to enrol for totally free classes on client provider and involves discounted prices on courses in finance, electronic capabilities, and own branding.

Developing as a brand name would not be probable without the need of the interior neighborhood that supports it. This is why foodpanda guarantees that even though they continue on to progress in the sector, its rider community grows with it as very well.

Bridging sustainability with on-demand from customers supply

Adhering to the improved buyer desire for a lot more sustainable products and solutions and products and services, Singapore has not long ago introduced the Singapore Eco-friendly Strategy 2030. In line with this intention, a variety of enterprises have started advancing their attempts in sustainable growth, and foodpanda plays an lively part in this as well. 

foodpanda thinks there’s normally a much better way, and any transform — significant or modest — can help make a difference. It pioneered the cutlery opt-out element in 2017, contributing to the preserving of thousands and thousands of plastic cutlery sets, and it was also the first supply platform in Singapore to ban the sale of sharks’ fin solutions.

Among its contributions to assistance establish a a lot more sustainable Singapore, foodpanda is working alongside area absolutely free-sharing application OLIO to deal with foodstuff squander by redistributing edible surplus food stuff from pandamart suppliers to application consumers for cost-free. 

It also partnered with Muuse to present reusable containers to its foods shipping clients, and turned a section of the Plastic Motion (PACT) initiative by Globe Wildlife Fund (WWF) to enable cut down plastic squander.

Ease and charge are critical components affecting shopper choice for sustainable alternatives. Devoid of compromising on benefit for shoppers, foodpanda also gives a self-collect option by means of its decide on-up aspect. This is not only sustainable in comparison to regular motor vehicle shipping, but it also makes it possible for buyers to skip the queues, help you save on supply expenses and also delight in price savings on their foods. 

foodpanda also emboldens the neighborhood to give back with its newest initiative. In partnership with The Food stuff Financial institution Singapore, foodpanda allows people ‘Donate a Meal’ to the needy via the application. 

The moment identified exclusively for its meals shipping expert services, foodpanda has clearly evolved over the previous decade to be a multi-faceted system that cares for its customers and the group. 

Based mostly on its innovations and advancement thus far, end users can be reassured that foodpanda is in this article to remain for the very long operate and it will keep on to innovate alone to supply the welcomed usefulness that consumers have developed to love.

Featured Picture Credit rating: foodpanda