By Mei Kuan
Today (December 10) marks the virtual launch of foodpanda’s latest grocery delivery service, pandamart. The on-demand service offers groceries, household essentials, beauty products, fresh produce and even over-the-counter medication direct from foodpanda’s own warehouse inventory.
It provides customers the utmost convenience of access to over 3,500 daily essential products with delivery within 20 minutes, assured quality and competitive pricing similar to supermarkets and hypermarkets, as the items are sourced directly from international and local brands or manufacturing suppliers.
Ashutosh Gandhi, Director of Dark Stores, foodpanda Malaysia, led an exclusive behind-the-screen virtual tour of their dark store in Subang Jaya during the press conference.
Ashutosh and his team set up the first dark store which went online in July. A dark store is defined as a storage facility that resembles a conventional supermarket or a normal store but is not open to the public, instead housing goods used to fulfil orders placed online.
There are currently 25 such online convenience stores across Klang Valley (19 locations), Johor (3 locations) and Penang (3 locations).
“The response has been amazing. Customers are excited about the products that we deliver, their quality and value for money,” he enthused.
“When an order is received, it takes less than 2 minutes to prepare one with an average of four to six items. We have not spent more than 5 minutes on any of the orders so far. Our digitised facility is designed to run 24/7. However, due to the CMCO, we are restricted to deliver only between the permitted operating hours. As soon as the CMCO is lifted, we will be starting with 24/7 delivery,” the amiable Ashutosh explained.
To date, among the most-ordered items on pandamart are mineral water, bread, buns, eggs, ice cream, fresh vegetables and fruits, frozen chicken and seafood, snacks, chocolates and beverages like soft drinks, yogurt and milk.
“We are set to launch our Ipoh North and Ipoh South pandamart stores by the end of this month. This month, we will be launching stores in Seremban, Malacca and Ipoh besides adding stores in Johor. Next year, we will be covering the entire Malaysia including major locations in East Malaysia and East Coast Malaysia,” he shared.
For those within the coverage of a pandamart, simply head to the foodpanda website or download the foodpanda app to place an order. One will find the pandamart under the “shops” section from the homescreen.
Meanwhile, payment can be made via cash on delivery, credit/debit card, or online banking. Do take note that the minimum order value is RM5.
A free delivery campaign is presently ongoing for the new locations where free delivery is available during the first four months of the opening of a new pandamart store. Delivery charges will range from RM1.00 to RM2.00 thereafter. Additional discounts and deals are also available for individual categories of the products.
“Quick commerce (or q-commerce) is the next-generation of e-commerce. We have now entered the era of quick commerce, alongside a parallel shift in consumer lifestyles and preferences all across the globe. Speed and convenience are becoming more important than ever before,” he added.
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