CapitaLand to launch e-commerce, online food ordering platform

Singapore

CAPITALAND on Friday said it will be launching an e-commerce platform eCapitaMall as well as an online food ordering platform Capita3Eats to complement the sales of its shopping malls in Singapore.

The property group's latest move is aimed at driving sales for retailers during the first phase of Singapore's reopening, from June 2, and beyond, the company said.

Both platforms will be accessible to the public via the CapitaStar app and CapitaLand's mall websites from June 1.

Digital mall eCapitaMall will feature the merchandise of retailers, the majority of whom also operate in CapitaLand's Singapore malls.

All retailers, including non-CapitaLand retailers, can join the eCapitaMall and Capita3Eats platforms. CapitaLand told BT that it aims to onboard more than 500 brands on both platforms by the end of this year.

So far, retailers that have committed to joining include Shanghai Tang, Fossil, Herschel, Lush and Hooga. Food and beverage players that will be on the platform include Zouk Group, which runs a Five Guys burger outlet here; Minor Food Group, operator of the ThaiExpress chain; and Pezzo Group, which owns the Crave nasi lemak brand.

There are more than 1,500 retailers across the 20 CapitaLand-owned and managed malls. A CapitaLand spokeswoman said, however, that non-CapitaLand retailers can also sign up to be part of the platform.

"Retailers with or without existing ecommerce capabilities are welcomed. The onboarding process is fairly simple and fuss-free, and our CapitaLand retail teams are also available to provide the necessary guidance to retailers," she said in response to queries from The Business Times.

"Our online platforms are positioned as additional revenue drivers for our retail partners, most of whom operate stores in our malls. We thus offer very competitive rates, compared to other platforms."

For online purchases, shoppers can opt for home delivery or in-store collection.

Meanwhile, food ordering platform Capita3Eats will offer consumers three ways to fulfil their food orders: through delivery, takeaway or dine-in.

Capita3Eats' dine-in ordering and eCapitaMall's in-store collection functions will be available from the third quarter and are applicable after the relevant Covid-19 precautionary measures have been lifted, CapitaLand added.

CapitaStar members will get to earn reward points for every transaction on both platforms. They will also have the option to pay online using eCapitaVouchers starting from Q3.

Chris Chong, managing director of retail at CapitaLand Singapore, said: "The 'circuit breaker' has brought to the fore the importance of an omnichannel, 24/7 strategy for Singapore's retailers. We want to help our retailers reach out to more consumers and online business opportunities by leveraging the strong brand awareness of CapitaLand and the digital capabilities we have built up over the years".

He added that retailers on its platforms will be able to tap more than one million CapitaStar members in Singapore, while shoppers can benefit from additional opportunities to earn and spend reward points both in-store and online.

Last month, Guoco Tower had introduced a consolidated delivery service for its food and beverage tenants on its own online platform. Customers can combine items from up to three different tenants in one order. The service offers free islandwide delivery for orders of S$50 and above. There is a S$5 delivery fee for orders below that amount, but with a minimum spend of S$30.

Delivery is outsourced to a third-party provider, with costs fully subsidised by GuocoLand. GuocoLand has taken on the back-end processing of orders to ease labour requirements for the 22 participating tenants. The portal was first launched on April 21, with manual handling of orders. A new version, launched on May 3, has better integration with tenants and delivery partners.

Shares in CapitaLand closed down 1.38 per cent at S$2.87 on Friday, while those in GuocoLand finished 2.11 per cent lower at S$1.39.