BY JOSE PAOLO S. DELA CRUZ
From SMEs who launched their businesses online, to home cooks who transformed their kitchen prowess into actual, income-generating ventures, tales of resilience and ingenuity have definitely been aplenty in the time of the pandemic. But how do big businesses cope in the time of COVID-19?
For Megaworld’s Chief Strategy Officer Kevin Tan, it all started with acting fast.
“We had to organize ourselves and our people. During the beginning of the pandemic, even before the lockdowns, we’ve already started deploying our resources,” he shares during a virtual, media roundtable. There, he enumerated the conglomerate’s impressive COVID-19 efforts, which have amounted to a staggering P 4.1-billion, to date.
Even when business was at its most challenging, Megaworld allocated funds for building testing centers, converting its alcohol plants and implementing other efforts that were designed to help the communities around them. It has since set its sights on acquiring vaccines.
What’s more admirable though is how, almost a year into the lockdowns, Megaworld has not stopped — or slowed down.
From March 2020, for instance, Megaworld has waived over P2.5 billion in rental fees and extended rental concessions to its retail partners, some of which are still being implemented until now. It is also one of the few companies to extend board and lodging provisions and free transportation to store employees, in order to ensure business continuity.
There were silver linings, too. For one, Megaworld’s pioneering township concepts proved their worth in the time of crisis. With their highly integrated design, these master planned communities provided a safe environment for its residents to live and for businesses to flourish amidst the threats and challenges of the global health crisis. It’s liquor business, also did pretty well.
However, retail and restaurant businesses still suffered. The alluring, relaxing and once sought after elements that truly made city-, or should we say, township-living a ball, were under extreme pressure as foot traffic in malls and lifestyle centers dropped to an all-time low.
“The lifeblood of our business is our retail partners. We have put their welfare way ahead of our pursuit for profit. Their survival will not only be beneficial for us, but also for their employees and their families especially during these trying times,” says Tan.
Reinventing retail and dining
Leveraging on digital technologies and innovation, Megaworld implemented a contactless strategy as it looked to address safety concerns in key experiences in the customer journey. Among these efforts are the establishment of Viber communities, allowing advance ordering and curb side pickup, and institutionalizing cashless payments through partnerships with GCash and PayMaya, to name a few.
Megaworld also accelerated its digitization and launched a new hotline and a new mobile application for Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, personal shopper service (MEGAN), automated parking system, and Safety on Track, which allows customers to enter all establishments inside the mall with just a single sign-in using a QR code. It also launched the Eat Out and Help Out initiative to help medical frontliners and generate revenue for its dining partners.
To help its retail partners make their products more accessible and streamline deliveries, Megaworld also partnered with courier services such as Pick.A.Roo, the company’s own on-demand delivery app created under its AGILE Digital Ventures and launched last August 2020.
Pick.A.Roo, dine in and takeout
A true gamechanger, Pick.A.Roo had the highest average order value among all delivery apps in the country in 2020. Its credit card penetration of 75 percent, is also the highest among all delivery apps. It also comes with a “Mixed basket,” wherein shoppers can obtain products from different stores within the Megaworld network, and have them delivered in one checkout.
Launched under AGILE Digital Ventures, Pick.A.Roo was instrumental in addressing customer needs and bringing the needed revenues for its retail partners. “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,” shares Tan.
Since its launch, Pick.A.Roo has enlisted 500 brands across three verticals and 27 categories such as food, groceries, houseware, health, gadgets and baby care. This is equivalent to 1,200 branches servicing customers across Metro Manila.
Megaworld also redesigned outdoor spaces in its lifestyle malls and converted them into alfresco dining areas, to provide a safe dining environment and unique ambiance while encouraging more dine-in patrons. “We’re developing ways to excite our customers by re-inventing the entire patio dining experience. We’re going to be doing up some new designs all throughout the entire summer,” he says.
Going full circle, Megaworld also continues to be a champion for small and medium enterprises, local farmers and fisher folk. “We converted a lot of our open spaces and activity areas into small, mini farmers’ markets,” Tan shares.
After having gone through these dark times, Tan emphasizes that business is no longer just about numbers and figures anymore. “Our roadmap for 2021 goes beyond profit and we are willing to invest in technologies and innovations as we look to fulfil our role as catalyst for growth and support our retail partners every step of the way on their road to recovery,” he concludes.
