While everyone obsesses about a possible merger between Grab and Gojek, a number of innovative delivery startups are finding success in frontier markets across Southeast Asia. A great example of this can be found in Cambodia. Grocerdel, an online grocery platform, is making it easy for people to have fresh fruits, vegetables and other products delivered to their home.
Founded in 2019, Grocerdel offers more than 2,000 products through its website and app. The startup estimates that 60 to 70 percent of sales come from fresh fruits and vegetables while more people have begun using the service to purchase meat and eggs.
Grocerdel makes farm-to-fork possible by working with more than 300 farmers from across Cambodia. Supporting local business is a key area of emphasis and the company has secured several small-scale farming partners in the country. Grocerdel CEO Priyanka Chetry told the Khmer Times that many of the farmers it works with only grow one or two crops.
Understandably, this has created a logistical challenge for the company, especially in the short term. However, it may also present the grocer with new opportunities to improve service offerings as it grows.
“This is part of our challenge to collect the produce from the farmers and deliver them quickly to the customer’s door to ensure freshness,” Chetry told the newspaper. “As the company grows and more customers come on board, we would like to streamline our supply chain management by creating more local storage that would allow us to deliver our products even faster and fresher.”
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Helping Cambodia cope with COVID-19
Despite being in business for only a couple of months, Grocerdel found its food delivery service in high demand due to COVID-19. The company noted that sales increased by nearly 165 percent during the first wave of the pandemic and needed to increase its staff by nearly 50 percent to keep up with demand.
The pandemic also forced the startup to rethink its own practices. In addition to implementing several health and safety guidelines, the COVID-19 outbreak meant some customers no longer wanted to pay in cash.
“We’ve provided staff with sanitizers and masks; made arrangements for contactless delivery, for example by leaving baskets outside customers’ premises; and started processing payments via QR codes or electronic transfers,” Chetry noted in an interview with UNCTAD.
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Finding Grocerdel online
Delivery is currently available in the greater Phnom Penh area. Grocerdel caters to both expats and locals. You can download their app on the Apple Store or Google Play. It is also possible to order online.
