Rocket Internet has launched a new food delivery service in Hong Kong which is best described as an “upscale Foodpanda”.
Foodora Hong Kong is billed as a high-end food delivery service targeting cashed-up Millennials who want a higher standard of meal than quick service restaurant fare and faster delivery – and who Rocket expects are happy to pay a premium for it.
A quick peek at the new website shows clear family resemblance to the Foodpanda site, just a different coloured search button and a silver service platter logo in place of the smiling panda.
But behind the scenes it is all different, we are assured.
Chris Parrott, marketing MD with Foodora, said in an interview with e27 that the two brands are targeting different clientele, albeit meeting the same need: food delivered to the door as quickly as possible.
“Foodpanda is a sister company, so there is scope for knowledge-sharing. We have different target clientele, as our minimum basket size is US$25.8 (HK$200) and Foodpanda’s is variable,” Parrott explained.
A key difference is the delivery time: Foodora promises within 30 minutes, which seems an overly ambitious promise; Foodpanda takes an hour or more, depending on the customer’s location.
The new service is available in only an extremely limited area – Central and Sheung Wan; even Wan Chai is out of the early scope. Service will be extended to Tsim Sha Tsui, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay by the end of the year.
Restaurant partners on board already include Fatty Crab, La Casa Bistro, Fridge, Linguini Fini, Kale, Old Town, Tsukiji and Dragon-I.
Foodora is now active in 14 countries and early this month took over Delivery Hero which is in 34 countries. The Hong Kong business is initially being promoted through blogs, food critics and Instagram.