After its success in Singapore, Deliveroo has faced backlash from customers who lambasted its Valentine’s Day ad for being offensive. Here’s today’s news round-up for Deliveroo.
Partnership with Singapore’s Sheng Siong
Deliveroo’s Singapore leg has recently forged a partnership with the Southeast Asian nation’s grocery retailer Sheng Siong Group to further simplify shopping for groceries for both their users.
Yes, Deliveroo has been delivering groceries to its customers’ doorsteps, but with the participation of Sheng Siong on the Deliveroo platform, the partnership will open more locations in one of the wealthiest countries in Southeast Asia this month of February.
“With a growing segment of consumers expressing interest in using delivery platforms for grocery and non-food items, we’re proud to continuously meet evolving demands and make everyday shopping simpler and more accessible,” spoke Jason Parke, the general manager of Deliveroo Singapore.
This British online food delivery platform, owned by a Westerner and an Asian, operates in Great Britain, Singapore, France, Belgium, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Qatar, Kuwait, and more.
With Sheng Siong introduced now to the platform, customers are provided access to various products, such as fresh produce and household goods, among others. This tie-up is part of Deliveroo’s efforts to expand its food delivery services to a larger market.
Lin Zikai, Sheng Siong’s director of customer and operations, “This is our first time partnering with a delivery company, and thanks to Deliveroo’s seamless delivery platform, we are now able to deliver high-quality products at affordable prices straight to our customers’ doorsteps in as quickly as 30 minutes.”
Zikai added that this collaboration allowed them to offer more convenience to busier families and individuals, ensuring they can easily access fresh produce and daily essentials.
Sheng Siong started humbly in Ang Mo Kio, growing to become one of the top retailers in Singapore known to the rest of the world, which is why Deliveroo decided to partner with this company.
Valentine’s Day promotion backlash
On Valentine’s Day, Deliveroo launched a direct mail campaign to its market in London. Readers saw a handwritten Valentine’s letter saying they were being treated to a discount on their favorite bouquets. In other words, they were led to believe they had a “secret admirer.”
For others, it is offensive, for what if you are single, right? So, some British Deliveroo customers expressed their anger over the promotion.
“From the outside, it looks like a generic Valentine’s card with a handwritten address and the name is ‘my valentine’. You can only tell it’s an ad when you open it. Someone’s getting stitched up with that one for sure,” one customer told the media.
Delivery has now issued their official apology over the matter.