40 orders possible on the Eid: running deliverymen
by Mahira Qamar
ISLAMABAD, May 13 (Gwadar Pro) – ''Normally, we can receive 15 to 18 orders in one day. On the Eid, the figure is expected to double,'' said Bilal Akbar, a Cheetay Delivery rider who has been working for about ten months. For him, being busy means double income.
''Rs. 135 per hour. We're paid weekly. Besides, we can get extra allowance from our company! Except for major festivals, the Rider of the Month can get another bonus. It will be awarded whoever wins the first place in the delivery race,'' Bilal Akbar added. Many riders like him are running through wide streets and narrow lanes of Pakistan. Right now, Eid al-Fitr is their busiest time every year.
Bilal Akbar (2nd L) is at work.
Since the outbreak of global epidemic, Pakistan's food delivery industry has grown rapidly. ''We used to get around 15,000 orders daily. Nowadays, we are getting 20,000 orders per day. I think this is a huge achievement in a span of 4 to 5 months,'' said Ahmed Khan, an assistant supplier in logistic department of Food Panda, the biggest food delivery company in Pakistan. “Food delivery business is about 15& to 20% of our total business,'' said Athar Chawla, convenor of the All Pakistan Restaurant Association (Apra). Needless to say, such a huge order volume is growing with the arrival of Eid al-Fitr.
How did they process a sudden surge of orders effectively? Mr. Ahmed Khan pointed out that when they have large number of orders on Eid, they usually have a meeting to estimate the increased numbers, so the restaurants can ask the supply department to arrange riders accordingly. “On Eid we have a large number of orders but no one worried about this. We already have enough personnel supplies to meet it.”
During the epidemic period, takeaway services have become a vital way for many people to look for odd jobs to earn a living. “Last year, Food Panda provided job opportunities for around 2.5 lakh people. What we did is a great undertaking,'' Mr. Ahmed Khan added. Now, all riders of Food Panda work in three shifts to keep the company running. By this way, everyone can survive.
Meanwhile, for the safety of both riders and customers, food delivery companies usually ensure the isolation by providing contactless delivery service. Take Food Panda as an example, it has offered an option of "Contact Less Delivery" on its app which means the rider put the food somewhere near the house of customer and the customer put the money at the same place. Then they can pick up the food and the money respectively without any contact during the whole process.
The Anti-epidemic sign in Food Panda shop.
On the other hand, as the saying goes, ''life is not a bed of roses.'' Hard-working deliverymen also need to face the hardships of life. “It's not easy for riding when it rains. Little accidents are always hard to avoid. I once spilled food due to the road condition on rainy days. To my point of view, our company should take actions to avoid risks or provide some compensations,” a Food panda rider Muddasir shared his experience. This is also a common problem faced by many emerging industries in the expansion process. At any time, the supporting measures are always an indispensable component in the food delivery industry.
Besides, the industry is affected to a large extent by the pandemic now. Mr. Ahmed Khan told Gwadar Pro that “all offices were closed and more than 4 or 5 people were not allowed to stay at one place. So, it is quite difficult for us to call and train the riders. The whole hiring process was affected heavily.” Through a session of around 2 hours, the riders are taught about the complete industry chain and the app operating process.
The training for Food Panda riders.
''The biggest challenge is the Internet and related app services. In Pakistan, if the related facilities can get better in the future, obviously it will be a great help to us, especially when we were swamped with orders,'' said Ahmed Khan.
This view was echoed by another industry insider, Mr. Raja Zulsham Riaz, representative of Restaurant Association Islamabad and Islamabad Chamber of Commerce Subcommittee of Restaurants. At the same time, Mr. Riaz also gave specific advices on possible cooperation between China's advanced Internet services and Pakistan's food delivery industry.
“If China will invest in the industry of food delivery service and related apps, their business will help Pakistanis because their devices and infrastructure are very good, and Chinese enterprises can even manufacture lower-priced devices according to Pakistan's need, economic conditions and people's affordability. Because most people that operate these devices received little formal education, it should be friendly and easy to use. Especially, it should not have trouble in terms of orders. More than that, apps need to be operated in local languages, as it will be helpful for the customer and for the restaurant as well. Obviously, there is huge space for them in our market and they should come as soon as possible. Every businessperson welcomes China because 70% to 80% of our business is with China. There is a huge scope for Chinese companies in this industry,'' Mr. Riaz said.
According to statistics from China's third-party data agency Analysys, by the end of 2020, China's overall order volume of food delivery has reached 17.12 billion, with the transaction scale of the food delivery market reaching RMB 835.2 billion. At the same time, the number of Chinese food delivery users has approached 500 million. Undoubtedly, such a huge volume means unlimited opportunities for cooperation.
“It is always a pleasure to work with Chinese friends. In Pakistan, you can hardly find a house that does not have any Chinese product. In terms of durability and quality, these products are unmatched all over the world,'' stated Mr. Raja Zulsham Riaz.
A Food Panda rider is passing by various Chinese brand smartphone stores of OPPO, vivo, etc.
At present, the emerging food delivery business is usually in some famous big cities in Pakistan. As Mr. Raja Zulsham Riaz mentioned, you can find it in all large cities like Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Gujranwala, etc. However, the service is still not expanded into small cities where we can find unlimited business opportunities. With the development of science and technology and the effective control of the epidemic, the prospect of Pakistan's food delivery industry is definitely impressive.
