Growing a business in the food and beverage (F&B) industry is not an easy feat, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses which sustained growth are truly inspirational, especially homegrown brands that have built their business from ground zero and sometimes with limited resources compared to the bigger players.
It takes an immense amount of foresight and agility in adopting business models to suit current customer trends. The opportunities to do even better are aplenty, with many local merchant heroes opening new branches to meet popular demand for their food.
ShopeeFood has partnered with many of these local food enterprise heroes who have chosen the mobile app as their preferred digital solution and delivery provider. Many local merchants have successfully adopted digitalisation to expand their market. This is not a surprise as at least 90% of more than 800,000 local MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) are estimated to continue adopting digital solutions for their businesses by 2025.
“We are honoured that ShopeeFood has contributed to the success of our local merchants through our digital solutions. Being on our platform has opened up many potentials for our local merchants as they explore the advantages of incorporating digital solutions in their business models,” said Kwa Yin Leng, Head of Operations for ShopeeFood Malaysia.
“We are certainly proud of them and their successes. They are an inspiration not only to us but to other new entrepreneurs as well. We will continue to provide the support required to help uplift our local merchants, such as our upcoming year-end 12.12 Birthday Sale. Merchants can look forward to connecting with new customers as well as offer their loyal customers even more value and rewards via the promotions we have lined up,” she added.
ShopeeFood not only offers a convenient and seamless food delivery experience but also allow users to utilise its mobile wallet (ShopeePay) to make secure payments easily when ordering food. Merchants on ShopeeFood and ShopeePay can also leverage Shopee’s platform to discover and engage new customers. They are also able to generate more sles revenue via ShopeeFood’s regular promotions and special deals. Currently, ShopeeFood is available in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Selangor, Penang, Johor, Ipoh and Kota Kinabalu.
1. Hometown Favourite
ShopeeFood local merchant, Borenos Fried Chicken, has made quite a name as the favourite fast-food chain in Kota Kinabalu for their juicy fried chicken. The Sabah-based brand is so popular that they constantly receiver requests from customers to open new outlets in other parts of the country.
“Fans of our fried chicken are not only found in Kota Kinabalu but also from out of Malaysia, especially in Southeast Asia. We are thankful to our loyal customers who want us to open an outlet in their hometown,” said Janice Yeo, Founder of Borenos Fried Chicken.
The local enterprise started using ShopeePay in June 2021 and ShopeeFood in July 2022 to explore new ways to serve its customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. “As a business, we must evolve to suit the needs of the masses as the world becomes more technologically advanced. It was only natural for us to join ShopeeFood to reach a wider audience as well as to establish a more convenient platform for our customers to connect with us,” explained Yeo.
Yeo also added that customer transactions are more convenient and streamlined with ShopeePay which is easily available on the mobile app. “As both food delivery and payment are available under one application for our customers, there are fewer barriers for them to use either feature,” she said.
Founded in 2015, Borenos Fried Chicken currently has three outlets in Kota Kinabalu – a flagship store in Asia City Complex, and two other locations in Plaza 22, Papar, and Alamesra, offering dine-in, takeaway and delivery services. The company is also planning to expand its delivery service to the peak of Mount Kinabalu for its fried chicken to be enjoyed just about anywhere.
2. Building Business Confidence
Dubbing itself as Malaysia’s #1 Tech-Driven Coffee Chain, homegrown brand ZUS Coffee first opened store in Kuala Lumpur towards the end of 2019. Today, it continues to brew success delivering over 8.8 million cups of coffee to date – staying true to its vision to evolve the concept of coffee consumption to make specialty coffee affordable for everyone, everyday.
“Our journey has been positive with so many Malaysians loving our brand and products. Customers have been sending requests for us to open up in their neighbourhoods. We also ensure that the local community benefits from our expansion through job opportunities,” said Setphy Foong, Vice President of Growth and Marketing, ZUS Coffee.
Since being on ShopeeFood three years ago, Foong says the coffee chain utilises customer data it receives from the platform to make better business decision.”We can now predict a spike in sales period to better manage out inventories,” shared Foong.
For ZUS Coffee, going digital is not just an advantage for the business but also a way to give back to its customers, which in turn helps build loyalty. “The eats of ShopeePay and ShopeeFood have attracted many customers to utilise the platform, and in turn, we were able to reach out to new customers through it. The platform has also allowed us to better understand our customers’ taste preferences, and this helps us to create more innovative products around our coffee products,” concluded Foong.
3. A Must for Survival
Not all F&B business were negatively impacted during the pandemic; in fact, some were even established at that time and have flourished since. One example is a popular local food enterprise brand: Classic Taiwan Braised Pork Rice and Dessert. This Malaysian homegrown brand selling authentic Taiwanese food with a local twist now has 29 outlets in Klang Valley, Melaka, Kampar and Johor with plans to open even more.
“Aside from constantly innovating our menu to attract customers and adopting technology for our daily operations, ShopeeFood has helped us improve out brand visbility,” said Tiang How Soon, the 36-year old founder of the brand.
“We opened our restaurant around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic lockdowns meant that we had to turn to technology to expand our sales avenues and discover more customers. We were also able to come on-board ShopeeFood easily and this was an important factor when we considered going digital. Since being on ShopeeFood two years ago, our sales have increased, and we often get positive feedback from our customers. More so because most of our customers are e-wallet users that enjoy seamless processes for ordering and enjoying their food.” added Tiang.
For new and modern entrepreneurs that are looking to start their own food business, Tiang offered good advice from his own experience. “Continuous learning is key. There is always a new concept, new taste and new service. There is no time for you to stop and rest,” he concluded.
4. The Sweet Taste of Success
It is no secret that Malaysians love bubble tea and dessert-inspired beverages. By just looking at the mushrooming of specialty beverage outlets, it is easy to tell how competitive the sector has become. Bubblebee in this respect is a local food enterprise that has done well.
Established just three years ago in Shah Alam, the Malaysian-based company now has 58 outlets in West Malaysia – and with growing demand, they are opening even more outlets nationwide in the near future. Currently, the business is also expanding into retail where loyal customers can also get their hands on Bubblebee merchandise.
“Bubblebee is recognised throughout Malaysia and we are grateful to our customers and their endless support since the opening of our first outlet. We believe in the idea that you don’t just build a business, but in building people and communities. This is why our motto is to bring smiles to everyone’s day – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time. We are proud to have been able to deliver this and more to our fans,” said Shahmira bin Muhammad (Shuib), one of the three Directors for Bubblebee.
Incorporating technology into daily business operations has allowed Bubblebee to enhance its efficiency and food quality. This also enhanced customer experiences. Since joining ShopeeFood a year ago, Shuib said Bubblebee has leveraged on the platform’s seller features to improve its productivity significantly, which has led to an increase in profit margins as well.
