Earlier today (April 29), foodpanda Singapore officially launched its house brand, bright, a new product line of affordable but high-quality groceries and household staples.
The brand was first unveiled in an exclusive media launch event last Thursday (April 25), and it’s described as a brand umbrella containing three subbrands:
- brightfarms: Fresh produce (eg. coconut, eggs)
- brightyums: Ready-to-eat meals and snacks
- brightspots: Household products (toilet paper, cleaning products, personal care products eg. hand wash)
bright is an upgrade of foodpanda’s house brand, which initially debuted and tested as brightfields in 2021, with three products: eggs, mineral water and toilet paper. Their product range has since expanded to over 250 products across all three subbrands and is currently sold exclusively on pandamart.
Kevin Zagolin, Director of Quick Commerce at foodpanda Singapore, added that all bright‘s products will follow the company’s promise to deliver groceries within the hour, 24/7, all year round.
He expressed his optimism that the brand will resonate well among the Singaporean population, given that it is marketed as a “house brand with pocket-friendly prices.”
bright‘s the number one brand on pandamart right now, 50 per cent of the orders contain at least one product of our house brand, so we felt that it was the right time now to officially stand behind the brand as foodpanda and call it our house brand.
I think all Singaporeans feel that they need to be very close to the budget and to our wallet [when shopping for groceries], so I think it fits also very well in these economic circumstances, given that bright is an affordable brand.
Kevin Zagolin, Director of Quick Commerce at foodpanda Singapore
To commemorate the launch, foodpanda users can use the promo code “TRYBRIGHT” to receive a 20 per cent discount on all bright products from April 29 to May 31 2024, with no minimum spend required.
Affordability ≠ Cheap
Most people might perceive house brands as cheaper and of lower quality—a narrative that Zagolin aims to debunk with bright.
In a media presentation, he shared that bright‘s products are similar in quality to non-house brands, but they are sold at up to 25 per cent less.
Zagolin further explained in an interview with Vulcan Post that bright was able to achieve affordability with two strategies: working up the value chain and focusing on specific product features.
By collaborating directly with local suppliers and distributors and removing unnecessary product features, foodpanda is able to absorb a portion of the production costs and offer lower selling prices to customers.
Delphine Dierckx, the director of Dmart Commercial & CPG Media Solutions at foodpanda APAC, added that bright is currently sold in eight countries across the Asian-Pacific region, including Taiwan and Bangladesh.
While both Singapore and Malaysia offer the widest range of bright products, Dierckx highlighted the importance of localisation to achieve success across different markets.
“Yes, you’d probably have water across the eight countries, but [while] you might have durian in Singapore, you won’t have durian in Bangladesh,” she added.
Convenience is the DNA of quick commerce
As the director of quick commerce (q-commerce) at foodpanda Singapore, Zagolin had to oversee how convenience can be guaranteed for all customers at any day, any time. However, concerns were raised about the brand’s ability to maintain the freshness of groceries—specifically for bright‘s fresh produce arm, brightfarms.
Zagolin addressed this, stating that the company undergoes stringent selection processes on potential manufacturers and distributors before they are onboarded and that the team conducts extensive daily quality checks on all fresh produce when it arrives.
These quality checks are conducted throughout the day, and products will be removed once their freshness or quality deteriorates. Pickers are also trained to follow strict guidelines on handling and packing fresh produce before it’s sent for delivery.
To provide more convenience for its customers, easy-to-handle products, such as pre-cut fruits and toilet paper sold in smaller packs, are offered on pandamart.
Quality above everything
Over the years, many big-name supermarkets and smaller online shopping retailers have launched their own house brands. Some might argue that foodpanda is late to the game, but Zagolin begs to differ.
He explained that the company took a lot of time to research and develop its products, choosing to expand its range slowly. “We didn’t want to rush this; we really wanted to take the time to make sure the product makes sense.”
Zagolin also clarified that the launch of bright was not meant to convert shoppers from national brands. Rather, the focus was to encourage more people to shop for their groceries online and for pandamart users to consider other categories that might be more affordable.
Looking forward, Zagolin shared his hopes to grow the brand in the near future, adding that the company will continue to work on products relevant to its consumers and eventually expand the product range across all three subbrands.
However, he was quick to reiterate that foodpanda will “not force the growth” of the brand.
No hard target for the sake of having targets, it’s going to be if and when it makes sense to customers.
Kevin Zagolin, Director of Quick Commerce at foodpanda Singapore
Featured Image Credit: foodpanda
