Over the years, the preference for fast, efficient, and convenient delivery of consumer goods has grown exponentially worldwide–especially during the pandemic. e-commerce players have especially captured the attention of the public wanting their commodities delivered quickly and conveniently.
Putting a premium on delivery speed are the players in quick commerce, or commonly known as Q-commerce, a segment focused on the fast delivery of goods– in some cases, as fast as 30 minutes or less. Q-commerce stole the spotlight during the era of Covid-19 lockdowns and the reduced accessibility to everyday necessities.
Spearheading the growth of this emerging industry in Asia, and the Philippines in particular, is foodpanda.
With its wide network of retail partners and broad range of food, groceries and more, foodpanda continues to be one of the major drivers in the Philippine q-commerce market as it provides more on-demand options for its Filipino consumers.
“As we celebrate our 8th year in the Philippines, we want to continue delivering change in the q-commerce industry through innovative and pioneering initiatives that will elevate the experience of our consumers and add value for our stakeholders,” says Daniel Marogy, Managing Director of foodpanda Philippines.
Delivering change in the q-commerce industry
While delivery services have already been existing in the country for many years now, it was mostly only available through in-house delivery services from restaurants and fast-food chains.
When foodpanda acquired local delivery service City Delivery in 2014, the merger revolutionized the food delivery as we know it by offering the first app-based, one-stop shop platform to order from hundreds of restaurants nationwide.
“Through the years, we have been able to expand our business verticals beyond just food delivery – adding on groceries, daily essentials, dine-in, and pick-up, among others, to the roster of services that we provide. The move was sprung out of the desire to offer as many assortment of items and brands as possible, and at the same time, provide q-commerce based solutions that will deliver these goods quickly and efficiently,” Marogy affirms.
Transforming the way restaurants serve and reach the customers
Aside from the innovations aimed directly at consumers, foodpanda also strived to be a helping hand to ease the lives of their vendors.
The PH Managing Director revealed that foodpanda was the first to start providing modern tech tools like tablets and data connection to their partner vendors to automate the order transmission which, back then, used a more laborious and manual route.
“That was a huge leap in the field of online food delivery; however, it did not stop us from continuously innovating our services to keep up with the evolving market,” Marogy explains.
“Our foodpanda shops and pandamart, for instance, have changed the way grocery shopping works by delivering groceries and daily essentials to Filipino households. pandamart, in particular, operates on an end-to-end process where everything is housed in one place – from warehouse to delivery, and we are the first and biggest player in the country to do so. Having control over the entire ecosystem has also allowed us to tap into smaller brands and stores so that they can gain more exposure in the app,” tells Marogy.
He also shared some of their other offers and services that are in response to the changing consumer habits and market behavior towards the way food is consumed.
“Our shared kitchens offer tremendous value and increased efficiency to the brands that utilize these shared spaces. Pick-up and dine-in, on the other hand, are some of the ways in which we are venturing into online-to-offline commerce, and in turn, help restaurants bring foot traffic back to their stores as COVID restrictions continue to loosen.”
Changing in the lives of small businesses
“We have also put great focus and effort on empowering Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), especially those that are greatly affected by the economic constraints of the pandemic and other natural disasters,” he shared. On top of the training sessions to help increase their sales and gain more exposure in the app, insurance assistance was also recently provided through SeekCap to help foodpanda MSMEs in Visayas and Mindanao bounce back from the effects of Typhoon Odette.
The foodpanda PH Chief explained that their intent to support MSMEs is two-pronged – to help consumers have access to wider options for goods while also helping smaller merchants gain their footing and navigate the market moving forward.
Making a difference for their delivery partners
At a time when the unemployment rate was ballooning to unimaginable numbers, it was delivery apps that became significant drivers of the gig economy and saved many displaced workers who became delivery riders, bikers, and even walkers delivering on foot.
“For our foodpanda delivery partner fleet – or our Ka-Pandas as we call them – it was more than just side hustles, but a career and source of livelihood. Extending the job qualification to include bikers, scooter-riders, and walkers was also a conscious decision to be able to produce more opportunities for Filipino workers.”
According to him, their delivery partners’ protection and welfare are always at the top of their priority. He mentioned that they recently sealed a partnership with PhilHealth to link them to basic healthcare benefits and offered insurance protection in the event of unexpected accidents while on the road.
Making a difference in the communities
“Sustainability is at the heart of foodpanda’s advocacy to make a difference in the communities we serve and society at large. Going beyond just being a food delivery company and digital business, our CSR initiatives are focused on two areas: pandaShare which covers donation drives and outreach activities, and pandaBiz which provides livelihood opportunities to the underserved Filipino population.”
One of their latest and biggest sustainability projects is the BuyAnihan Palengke program which seeks to help enterprising Filipinos become resellers of fresh produce sourced directly from farmers–who in turn are provided with better margins for their crops–and create value along the supply chain.
Unafraid to not just embrace change, but to actually deliver and initiate it, foodpanda has proven to be king in the online food delivery space, while finding the perfect balance to successfully transform how its ecosystem of stakeholders function – from consumers, to vendors, delivery partners, and communities.
“As we step into our 8th year, our aim is to further digitize the food space in the Philippines to continuously meet the ever-changing demands of the digital world, local market, and our valued customers,” Marogy says.