DELIVERY SERVICES SEE INCREASE IN BOOKING

One local delivery service noted 100 to 150 bookings in a month from 50 to 70 bookings during normal days

SOME delivery services noted an increase of about 50 percent in their bookings while Davao City is under community quarantine due to 2019 novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

Cinderellabelle Delivery representative Rea Gethsemane said with the Covid-19, they are now receiving 100 to 150 bookings in a month from 50 to 70 bookings during normal days.

“More customers are patronizing our services due to the current situation that most of the people are afraid to go out of their house,” she said

Khalid Gorospe, the owner of a recent player in the delivery industry Oridoo Halal

Delivery, said orders have increased by 50 percent.

Since Oridoo Halal Delivery is focused on food, he said he had to devise other services to cater to those who want to ensure their grocery is not contaminated with Haram and at a lower rate.

“Since we lower our rate hindi rin ganun kataas ang sale. Para lang hindi maging mahirap sa ating community kasi nga they need supply but puro halal product lang (Since we lowered our rate, our sales are not also high. We do this to make it easy for our communities because they need halal supplies),” Gorospe said.

Foodpanda, another established food delivery business, said although the health situation became favorable to them in terms of sales and orders, the company still faced other challenges.

“Undeniably, what affects the order volume is the availability of food options given that vendors inside malls are closed and some vendors in the city have limited their food production to prioritize safety of their employees,” foodpanda Philippines marketing officer Reynaldo Rubio said.

The same sentiment is shared by Cinderellabelle Delivery. Gethsemane said, “There are more customers who ask for our services but because of the situation it is somehow hard for the riders to find the items that the customers demanded because most of the stores are closed especially at night.”

Meanwhile, Rubio added aside from orders, a good number of new businesses have also partnered with them.

“[It] is to sustain their businesses and continue to serve their customers during this time,” he said.

However, for the delivery business to sustain the spike in sales, orders, or new partner-merchants, the companies said they adhere to the guidelines set by the City Government in implementing safety measures for their riders

They said their riders are in constant contact with people delivering orders which may pose a potential risk on their health.

The riders are supplied with face masks, gloves, vitamins, and alcohol or sanitizers. They are also advised to practice social distancing, to wash their hands every now and then, and to constantly disinfect the bags they used in every delivery.

Companies said they also check the daily health status of their rider such as measuring body temperatures and advising them to report to the authorities or seek medical interventions if they feel sick and stay at home.

For able companies, they devised contactless delivery schemes and implemented online payment systems to minimize the contact of their riders with people.

“We also understand that all of these measures were implemented by the government not just for some, but for all of the people in the community,” Gethsemane said.

Rubio added, “Our commitment remains with supporting all our riders, restaurant partners and valued customers as we go through this tough time together as a nation.”

Foodpanda is ensuring the public that we continue to provide our service (while implementing strict health measures) as we hope that we will heal as one.”

“It is part of our community service and contribution,” Gorospe said.