How this lifestyle brand took its operations to the next level
One cannot stress enough how the pandemic has adversely affected our lives. For one, a study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) reveals that the Philippine economy has been hit worst in Asia. Data shows that 70 percent of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country has had money issues amid the global health emergency.
Despite the debilitating effects of the coronavirus outbreak in the restaurant and retail sector, a particular company went above and beyond, exhibiting the great resilience and empathy sorely needed today.
Real estate and lifestyle mall developer, Megaworld Corporation employed integrated designs to provide a safe environment for its residents, as well as for businesses and partners to thrive in these turbulent times. The lifestyle brand, through careful planning and technological innovations, pulled out all the stops to protect its retail partners from bearing the brunt of the economic crisis.
“The lifeblood of our business is our retail partners. We have put their welfare way ahead of our pursuit for profit as we know that their survival will not only be beneficial for us, but also for their employees and their families, especially during these trying times,” says Kevin Tan, chief strategy officer of Megaworld. Indeed, in the Covid-world compassion leads the way.
The real estate development company has waived over ₱2.5 billion in rental fees, and have concessions to its retail partners, some of which are sustained to date. It is also among the few institutions to extend lodging provisions and free transportation to store employees for the continuity of the business.
Consumers are, of course, top priority. To guarantee the safety of patrons, Megaworld leverages on technologies utilizing contactless strategies. Some of these efforts include the establishment of Viber communities, advance ordering, curbside pickup, and institutionalizing cashless payments through partnerships with two of the top e-wallets in the country, GCash and PayMaya. Likewise, in line with the trends in business now, the renowned lifestyle brand focuses on digitization, and has launched a new hotline as well as a mobile application for Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, a personal shopper service called MEGAN, automated parking system, and Safety on Track, which gives customers the convenience of entering all establishments inside the mall with a single sign-in using a QR code.
Pick.A.Roo, the company’s own on-demand delivery app under AGILE Digital ventures, also kicked off in August last year. With the use of courier services, retail partners and products have become more accessible. “Pick.A.Roo aims to help Filipino retailers, especially Megaworld’s retail partners, to smoothly migrate to the digital platform and help them sell and deliver their products online and on-demand,” explains Kevin. Since its launch, the app has on-boarded 500 brands across three verticals and 27 categories such as food, groceries, houseware, health, gadgets and babycare. This is equivalent to 1,200 branches servicing customers across Metro Manila. Among the delivery apps available in the country, Pick.A.Roo has had the highest average order value as well as credit card penetration (about 75 percent) in 2020.
These astounding achievements attained in a span of five months is underpinned by game-changing features currently unavailable with other delivery apps. Some of these are a Mixed Basket, Single Checkout feature that allows customers to order from multiple shops and pay everything in a single purchase. “Our mission is to be the most complete on-demand delivery platform that can deliver anything within an hour, while helping our retail partners and the industry by sharing our experience and valuable insights on this migration to the digital platform,” says the young tycoon.
There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.
―John Holmes
Toward the end of 2020, more dining and retail brands have opened stores in the lifestyle malls. These include some of the biggest branches of top dining chains Wildflour Cafe + Bakery at Uptown Bonifacio, Mary Grace at Newport Mall, and McDonald’s at Capital Town Pampanga, to name a few. More stores are opening their branches this year.
To help out medical frontliners, the “Eat Out and Help Out” initiative was launched, which also aids in generating revenue for dining partners. Outdoor spaces of the lifestyle malls are transformed into alfresco dining areas, a secure environment with a unique ambiance that encourages dine-in. Doing so also gives a sense of normalcy for the dining experience of people.
“Our roadmap for 2021 goes beyond profit and we are willing to invest in technologies and innovations as we look to fulfill our role as catalyst for growth and support our retail partners every step of the way on their road to recovery,” says Kevin.
Megaworld has 20 lifestyle malls across the country including Eastwood Mall, Eastwood Citywalk and The Clubhouse at Temple Drive in Quezon City; Arcovia City in Pasig City; Lucky Chinatown in Binondo, Manila; Uptown Bonifacio, Forbes Town, McKinley West and Venice Grand Canal in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City; Newport Mall at Resorts World Manila in Pasay City; Three Central Mall, Paseo Center and San Lorenzo Place Mall in Makati City; California Garden Square in Mandaluyong City; The Village Square Alabang and Alabang West Parade in Las Piñas City, Twin Lakes Shopping Village in Laurel, Batangas; Southwoods Mall in Binan, Laguna; Mactan Alfresco in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu; and Festive Walk Mall in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.