DART, a Manila-based Quick-commerce (Q-commerce) provider, has entered into an operational and supply partnership with Robinsons Supermarket as part of its plans to tap the underserved online grocery market in the country.
“This partnership with Robinsons is providing an extreme value to our business - from the access to a large assortment, advantageous prices as well as leveraging Robinsons existing supply chain infrastructure,” DART Chief Executive and Co-Founder Harm-Julian Schumacher said.
Robina Gokongwei-Pe, President and CEO of Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc., which operates Robinsons Supermarket, said Q-Commerce provides a unique opportunity to address needs of consumers that are complementary to its traditional supermarket offering.
“We are excited to team up with DART and together push forward the digital transformation of the grocery industry,” she added.
To attract a critical mass of shoppers who desire for rapid delivery of items ordered online, DART will bank on its 15 minutes promise of instant grocery delivery service.
With its 110 million people and an annual grocery spend of above $50 billion, the Philippines represents one of the most attractive markets in Southeast Asia for quick delivery service companies.
According to the e-Conomy study by Google, Bain & Company and Temasek, the penetration level is only at 2 percent compared to 25 percent in the non-grocery space.
“Delivering grocery goods to customers in 15 minutes represents a great opportunity. Our model allows gratification of instant needs and cravings while simultaneously saving time and money enabling us to create tremendous value for our customers,” said Schumacher.
Founded in early 2022, DART offers a wide assortment of goods, covering a range of popular snacks, drinks, fresh produce, dry and frozen goods as well as local partnership brands.
DART Chief Operating Officer Tommy Campos said the startup is currently serving the cities of Makati and Mandaluyong.
“We have tested many orders in the last months to better understand our customers and operations and fine tuning our offering. We have seen that 99 percent of our orders are getting delivered within 15 minutes and are now confident to scale our business to more customers,” he noted.
Campos added that DART also plans to broaden its market coverage by expanding to other cities as well within the year.