As hawkers across the nation continue to borne the brunt of the dine-in ban in light of COVID-19, Foodpanda on Friday announced that the hawkers who get on board will not have to pay commission for the first month as part of a new initiative to ease hawkers’ entry onto the food delivery app.
Dubbed the “pandasupport hawker initiative”, the incentive is being rolled out with “the understanding that commission fees are factored as a substantial barrier that is currently preventing hawkers from coming on board Foodpanda”, the company said in a press statement.
Over the last few months, food delivery apps have faced heat for charging steep commissions of 30 to 40 per cent, eating into hawkers’ already-thin margins. Foodpanda’s latest move comes as the food and beverage sector prepares for continued strain. Curbs on dining in are set to continue past June 1 even as Singapore goes into the first phase of reopening the economy.
The “pandasupport hawker initiative” applies to hawkers licensed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) as well as hawkers operating out of hawker centres managed by NEA or NEA-appointed operators. Eligible hawkers will also be provided complimentary marketing support via a prime placement on the “Hawker Favourites” carousel tile in the app, prominently displayed at the top of the Foodpanda app to amplify customer outreach.
The pandasupport package also looks to support hawkers who are not eligible for the Food Delivery Booster package jointly launched with Enterprise Singapore in April. This includes self-employed hawkers that are not registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority.
Managing director of Foodpanda Singapore, Luc Andreani said, “(As) Singapore prepares itself for the easing of circuit-breaker measures, Foodpanda remains mindful of various segments of our community that are more vulnerable to the impacts of Covid-19 such as hawkers and migrant workers. With the resources that we have, we hope to be able to make a sustained difference”.