Alvin Gill
KUALA LUMPUR: ShopBack shares that more local foodies are counting on the convenience brought by food delivery and table booking providers this Ramadan.
The number of transactions made with Food and Dining merchants by ShopBack users saw a five-fold increase in the first three weeks of Ramadan, compared to the same period in 2018.
According to Alvin Gill, Country general manager of ShopBack Malaysia, “The performance of the Food and Dining category picked up fast in recent months, driven by merchant offers such as lower minimum spend and reduced delivery fee. In fact, the category grew by 60 per cent in 1Q19 compared to 4Q18 and it has become one of the fast-emerging categories on ShopBack.
“Despite we are in the month of Ramadan, compared to the earlier months this year, the number of Food and Dining transactions is still growing as many will make time for Buka Puasa with family at a restaurant after work, or order food from 24-hour eateries.”
Popular online food merchants such as Foodpanda, Eatigo (table booking with discounts), Delivereat, and Smartbite are offering up to nine per cent cashback on ShopBack website and app.
Users will be able to check their cashback within 48 hours after they click through ShopBack to make an order with the merchant.
Interestingly, foodpanda, the leading Food Delivery merchant on ShopBack, points out that the food delivery trend is growing as per expected during the month of Ramadan, for example, Malaysians tend to place their orders as early as 4pm, which is different than the non-fasting months (dinner orders usually start from 8pm onwards).
foodpanda Malaysia managing director Sayantan Das said, “Malaysians are always looking for the best deals available on the platform and for this, foodpanda Malaysia is offering free delivery from 6pm to 6am until the June 4 in conjunction with Ramadan this year.
“Alongside that, with a reduced minimum spend, customers can enjoy their favourite meals for as low as RM5. We want to ensure our Muslim customers can break their fast with ease, saving them the hassle of rushing to cook or queueing up for food.”
According to foodpanda, the company has more than 4,000 well-trained riders across the nation. With an estimated delivery time and pre-order feature, customers can easily plan their food orders ahead.
“Good merchant selections and cashback incentives motivate our users to try ordering food/booking a table online, whereas a pleasant overall experience makes them recommend and share. We work with merchants closely to help users to save more, at the same time getting regular feedback so that we are able to respond quickly to their needs,” Alvin adds.
Other than the Food and Dining category, ShopBack Malaysia also covers Fashion and Beauty, Marketplaces, Travel and Activities, Mobile Reloads, Sports and others. Over 500 merchants can be found on its website and app, including ZALORA, Lazada. Shopee, Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, Traveloka, Hermo, Althea, Sephora, Nike, Taobao, AliExpress and many more. Approximately RM2 million is expected to be given out during the Ramadan period.