Foodpanda techs delivery to next level
Foodpanda may have celebrated its fifth year of operations, but the food ordering and delivery firm is just getting started, said its Singapore managing director Luc Andreani.
It is considering further leveraging on technology - including the use of chatbots to automate replies to customers - to improve efficiency and services.
In a press release, the service, which partners about 3,000 local eateries and has its own delivery fleet, said it now has a 50 per cent market share here.
In December last year, Foodpanda - which also operates in countries such as India, the Philippines and Thailand - was acquired by tech giant Delivery Hero, and Mr Andreani said he has ambitious plans for Singapore's outfit.
In Q1, Foodpanda announced a 222 per cent growth in Asia, but Mr Andreani said the goal is to double order volume by the end of the year and keep the platform innovative, although he was quick to emphasise that it would not come at the expense of customer service.
"Customers are becoming extremely demanding, but rightly so. In Singapore, whoever is going to win this market is whoever serves the customer the best and has the best inventory, which means the spectrum and offering of restaurants," he said.
Mr Andreani also suggested using drones to increase the delivery radius, but added that it was an option explored "for the longer term".
He said: "Drones, maybe? Who knows what will happen in the future, but we also have to see how the laws would be like.
"I would also be cautious that, while these disruptive models might be interesting, they are not yet fully scalable and applicable."
Mr Andreani stressed that any improvement has to be financially sustainable.
"We... want to be here for decades to come. To do that, we need to find a balance between efficiency and customer service," he said.
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