App-solutely selling like hot cakes

Virtual feast: Platform providers create attractive photos of customers’ products online.

NEW consumer trends and market changes have sparked a proliferation of apps and online marketplace for sale of products and services.

One such segment is the niche food platforms that feature sellers from specific groups. And there are also those that offer unique delivery services.

StarMetro speaks to a few platform providers to find out what they offer their vendors and customers.

Managing orders

Neybrfood serves as a curated online marketplace for home-made meals and food products by home chefs.

Its co-founder Donovan Tan said the website was inspired by his wife, a make-up artist who turned to baking cookies when make-up jobs were hard to come by during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

“She was having problems coordinating orders and scheduling deliveries. This was a potential market.

“People ventured into the food and beverage business out of necessity to earn an income, but they didn’t have the experience managing such businesses,” he said.

Neybrfood was launched in November 2020 with 15 vendors. It recorded 53 vendors on its first anniversary.

“Most home chefs don’t have the capability and resources to fulfil on-demand orders (same day delivery) due to concerns such as time management.

“We offer them the flexibility of timing, whereby orders are set to a lead time of between three days and one week. Vendors then manage the orders based on their own timing and capacity,” added Tan.

The products on Neybrfood are categorised under meals, baked goods, specialities and beverages.

Neybrfood chief technology officer Aaron Wong said besides a sales platform and coordinating delivery services, the business also offered support services such as product photography, branding and contacts for suppliers.

“When vendors send their food to our office for product photography, we are also able to give feedback on packaging, product taste and value.

“Neybrfood charges a 20% commission on the sale amount. There are no registration fees or subscription fees to be on our platform,” said Wong.

Tan observed that business was better and there was an accelerated growth of sellers during the lockdown period.

“While the pool of vendors now is smaller (as some have resumed full-time jobs), these are micro-entrepreneurs who take their businesses seriously.

“Our team is also able to advise these vendors should they want to upscale their business,” he added.

For Padma Narayanan, such support services have allowed her to focus on crafting her homemade coconut candy that comes in assorted flavours and colours, such as chocolate, coffee, lemon and ginger.

“There was a significant difference in the volume of orders after I utilised their photography and marketing support like improved visuals of my food.

“I sell my products on my own social media and via a website. These require more work on my part as I need to coordinate orders and deliveries myself,” she said.

The 58-year-old started Padma’s Dapur in July 2020 to support herself and her octogenarian aunt, after a job offer fell through due to lockdown extensions.

“Freshly grated coconut is a key ingredient in my product. It’s the kind of traditional candy that evokes a sense of nostalgia among the older generation, although more children are enjoying them too,” added Padma.

Little Fat Pokk owner Alvin Lee said he was doing everything himself when he started.

“Being on such an app took the stress off juggling multiple roles.

“Neybrfood will inform me of the orders and schedule the delivery service. I only need to prepare and cook the products,” he said, adding that he also learnt from them how to engage the customers.

Lee started Little Fat Pokk in October 2019 when jobs in the events industry were hard to come by.

“I started with three products, including pork rinds. Then I met a master who taught me how to smoke meat, which allowed me to expand my menu to include ham, bacon and burger patties,” he said.

The 41-year-old hopes to move from his home kitchen to a central kitchen and hire more people to help in his business.

Baked goodies

Eat Cake Today (ECT) is a website offering cakes and selected baked goodies to customers in the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Baru.

ECT chief executive officer BC Ang said he worked with home bakers and independent cafes, many of whom provided quality cakes and baked goods but did not have the resources to promote themselves.

“We support the vendors in customer service, operations, delivery, photography and business analysis.

“We also offer feedback if there are product issues or update vendors on consumer trends and their bestsellers,” he said.

ECT started about five years ago with some 15 vendors in the Klang Valley. It now has more than 80 vendors offering 2,000 products, with plans to expand to other cities such as Ipoh, Kuching, Melaka and Seremban.

Its website lists cakes by types, flavours, occasion, delivery time and location. There are also options to order customised cakes or add-on flowers and balloons.

“Before a potential vendor joins ECT, we have to ensure they have the capacity to expand or cater to large orders.

“We will also taste the cakes to ensure the products are of top quality,” said Ang.

“We charge about 30% commission on the sellers, but our partnership is quite flexible. A two-month notice is required if either party needs to end the partnership.”

ECT opened its first retail store in February last year at Starling Mall, Petaling Jaya.

Ang said having a store would help build trust and establish ECT’s brand with customers in the consumer and corporate sectors.

While the Covid-19 pandemic brought on challenges such as rising cost in ingredients and logistics, Ang said there were also positive outcomes like customers embracing online shopping and buying cakes for their own consumption.

Being on ECT gave Cake Lab managing director Andrew Fong more time to develop new products and better manage orders and work schedules.

“I used to handle everything by myself when I started my business,” said Fong, who runs Cake Lab with two baker partners.

“I had to constantly monitor email enquiries and other matters, while juggling operations, customer service and marketing. That resulted in occasional missed orders or payment.

“There was also a 70% drop in business when the pandemic hit and walk-in customers weren’t allowed as I was then based at home.”

Fong noticed an improvement upon joining the support service platform, with a jump in sales and more streamlined operations. Cake Lab also moved to a central kitchen located in Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, Selangor.

“My team was able to grow our product range by 80%, including introducing bite-sized platters, gift sets and festive items,” he said.

“The pandemic hastened the digitalisation process, and customers, especially young adults, are more willing to try new flavours,” he added.

The Skinny Bakers sells cookie-based products on several websites including ECT, as its director Eniza Fasiha Ellias believes it is better to sell on multiple platforms.

“We came across ECT after enjoying a delicious cake delivered by them, then decided to sign up as a vendor,” she said, noting that ECT’s platform was user-friendly to vendors and customers.

“We try our best to meet customers’ demands and predict future possible wants, which never remain the same but are what makes growing a business interesting,” she added.

Borderless delivery

Meow Meow is a food delivery app that allows customers to order dishes from various states in the country and have them delivered to their doorstep within three hours.

“The app leverages on sister company Yunda Express’ logistics system and cold storage facilities to offer same-day delivery of food from renowned restaurants within peninsular Malaysia,” said Yunda O2O Sdn Bhd co-founder Wee Sze Chia, whose company owns both brands.

“Yunda Express is a last-mile delivery company with its own fleet of refrigerated trucks and 100 cold storage facilities across peninsular Malaysia. Customers who order via Meow Meow can receive their food quickly as it is sent from the facility closest to them.

“All food items are packed using blast freezing and vacuum packaging technology to ensure freshness. Customers just need to reheat and follow the on-pack instructions to enjoy the food,” said Wee.

Meow Meow was inspired by one of Yunda O2O’s partners, a Singaporean based in Malaysia.

He was craving for otak-otak and Hokkien mee from Singapore but was unable to enjoy them due to border closures during the pandemic.

“He tried ordering some food from his home country and had them delivered to Malaysia using Yunda Express’ services. The idea worked well and so the co-founders decided to develop the app from there,” said Wee.

Meow Meow launched its app in Malaysia in September last year with 10 vendors. It now lists more than 50 vendors across peninsular Malaysia, with almost 100 on the wait list.

“We work closely with vendors to decide which of their signature dishes are suitable for freezing. We have each vendor offering three to five of their bestsellers, but may expand the menu option in future,” said Wee, adding that a RM6 fee is charged per trip and that the delivery fee will be waived with a RM50 minimum order.

Customers in Singapore will soon be able to order food from Malaysia and vice versa, when the app goes live in Singapore.

Wee said there were plans to expand the Yunda Express’ coverage to Sabah and Sarawak by the third quarter of the year and to Bangkok, Thailand later.