SOME delivery services noted an increase of about 50 percent in their bookings while Davao City is under community quarantine due to the coronavirus disease (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 since most of the people are afraid to go out of their houses,” she said.
Khalid Gorospe, owner of Oridoo Halal Delivery, a recent player in the delivery industry, said orders have increased by 50 percent.
Since Oridoo Halal Delivery is focused on food, he said he had to devise other services at lower rates to cater to those who want to ensure their groceries are not contaminated with Haram.
“Since we lowered our rates, hindi rin ganun kataas ang sales. Para lang hindi maging mahirap sa ating community kasi nga they need supply but puro halal product lang (Since we lowered our rates, our sales are also not high. We are doing this to make it easy for our community because they need halal supplies),” Gorospe said.
Foodpanda, another established food delivery business, said although the health crisis may have been favorable to them in terms of sales and orders, the company is still faced with 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 to deliver orders, thus posing a potential risk on their health.
To address this concern, riders are supplied with face masks, gloves, vitamins, rubbing 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 use in every delivery.
Companies said they also check the daily health status of their riders by measuring their body temperatures, advising them to report to the authorities or seek medical interventions if they feel sick and to stay at home if they fell unwell.
For able companies, they devised contactless delivery schemes and implemented online payment systems to minimize the contact of their riders with customers.
“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 has ensured the public that it will continue to provide service while implementing strict health measures as the community hopes to heal as one.
“It is part of our community service and contribution,” Gorospe said.