On-demand logistics and food delivery services are expected to sustain this year the tremendous growth recorded since the onset of the pandemic in March in 2020.
The anticipated growth will be driven by continued rise of online businesses as people avoid going out due to limited public transportation and the community quarantines in place to control spread of the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID).
Mobile delivery service provider Grab Philippines which operates ride- hailing, food and parcel delivery; Lalamove and Foodpanda are on track to further grow both their merchant-partners and customers this year.
Nicka Hosaka ,Grab spokersperson and public affairs manager, told Malaya Business Insight the average demand across all of Grab’s delivery services has more than doubled compared to pre-enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) levels, and this trend has been steadily growing month-on-month.
“Since the lockdown, we have grown our communities of merchant-partners by two times and have welcomed tens of thousands of delivery-partners to our platform,” Hosaka said.
Grab delivery services for food, mart, and express have always remained essential services among /customers users, the use of which was exacerbated by the lockdowns and have remained strong even after lockdowns eased.
“We continue to see new people coming on to the platform as we’ve launched new features like long-distance delivery. We also work hand-in-hand with our merchant- partners to provide promos and deals that ultimately aim at keeping their businesses afloat and thriving despite the tough situation provided by the quarantines such as reduced dine-in customers and foot traffic in malls and stores,” Hosaka added.
For 2021, Grab will further grow merchant-partners for GrabFood and GrabMart so that customers will continue to enjoy greater variety in their selections for food, grocery, and everyday essentials.
“Our goal for 2021 is to continue providing everyday value to more customers – within and beyond Metro Manila, who rely on our delivery services for their everyday activities.”
Hosaka said.
The company also launched GrabExpress four-hour delivery service where customers are able to have their parcels delivered within four hours at a much affordable rate as compared to our instant delivery service option.
Hong-Kong based delivery service provider Lalamove which broke into the Philippine market in 2017 is eyeing expansion this year.
“At the onset of the enhanced community quarantine, orders skyrocketed and our active drivers plummeted. We forged on as we wanted to deliver essential goods to as many users as possible but a huge chunk of our partner drivers feared for their and their family’s well being, knowing that they themselves are front liners in this pandemic,” said John Carlo Alarcon, Lalamove, PR and Partnerships officer .
Lalamove is set to expand operations in Pampanga this year while solidifying core business of same-day delivery through a wide array of delivery vehicles.
Lalamove will launch its sedan fleet next month to serve the food and beverage industries and online marketplaces.
Germany-based food delivery service foodpanda has been constantly growing, hitting its biggest milestone to date with the opening of its 100th location in the country.
“This month is a celebration of our growing Foodpanda family here in the Philippines,” said Daniel Marogy, Foodpanda Philippines managing director.
Having reached triple digits in local location count, the Philippines now enjoys the distinction of being the first and only Asia-Pacific country to have foodpanda available in 100 local markets.
While this year has definitely brought challenges, foodpanda pays homage to the food and beverage industry by opening up opportunities, particularly to small businesses in different local areas.
foodpanda was launched in the Philippines in 2014 and introduced Filipinos to the brand’s “three Cs” of food delivery service that makes life easy for users.
The first C is “comfort,” where all the time and energy that goes into buying food personally are reduced to simple on-screen scrolls and taps. Another is “convenience,” with food and goods delivered in just 20 minutes or less. The last one is “customer perks and rewards,” as foodpanda often offers free deliveries and unmatched food discounts.
“The tremendous growth of foodpanda in the Philippines is a testament to the relationship between the Filipinos’ deep-rooted love for food and the company’s brand of quick and simple delivery service,” said Argie Muyco, foodpanda Philippines head of Expansion.
“We intend to introduce foodpanda to more locations to get more food and goods delivered, as well as to create new jobs and support local food establishments, especially during these challenging times,” Foodpanda added.
Other on-demand delivery services are also expected to aggressively grow the market: Transportify, Mr. Speedy, Angkas Padala, among others.
