Malaysia: Industry players co-develop country's first integrated POS solution from order-to-last-mile-delivery in F&B sector's recovery efforts

• Cuscapi, Presto and Hungry announce strategic partnership to offer a fully digitalized and integrated F&B “order-to-delivery” solution to boost F&B sales
• F&B operators will be able attract and retain both dine-in and take-away customers with an integrated solution covering order taking to delivery and everything in between
• Customers will enjoy an improved customer experience in a fully digital platform, staying contactless, as per the new normal
• The tripartite partnership banks on the expertise of all partners who are key players in their own sectors

Kuala Lumpur, 24 June 2020:  Cuscapi, Presto and Hungry are pleased to announce that they have entered a partnership to offer a fully integrated and digitalized order-to-delivery solution to help boost the local Food and Beverage (F&B) industry affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As Malaysians still spend some 31% of their income on food, the F&B sector offers great potential and a digital revolution on F&B operations can help F&B operators to overcome the challenges and do quick business recovery in the new normal.

To get the best out of each partner’s expertise, the three reputable corporations in the country – Cuscapi, Presto and Hungry – have formed a strategic alliance to develop the 360⁰ fully integrated and digitalized Cloud-powered F&B management suite, named Custory, to help F&B operators manage their order-to-delivery cycle, and everything in-between, both efficiently and effectively.

By adopting this new solution, F&B operators will be able to bring back customers to their restaurants. As the food ordering and payment solution is fully digital, diners will regain confidence of having less human contact in the restaurant to enjoy the pleasures of dining-in. Customers will also be able to make table reservations, drive-through, take-out or have their food delivered via this new solution.   

The three main components that make-up this new solution are food ordering, cashless payment and delivery service, each of which is the specialization of Cuscapi, Presto and Hungry, respectively.   

The 360⁰ F&B solution, or Custory as it’s called, is powered by Cuscapi, a pioneering provider of Point-of-Sales (POS) systems in Malaysia. Custory allows real-time access to restaurant data anytime, anywhere and enables restaurants to create a digital menu for both dine-in and online orders on a single platform. This translates as a cost-effective and comprehensive solution.

By using the solution, restaurants can also replace order-placing kiosks that contribute to long queues, which are fast becoming a greater inconvenience to customers as social distancing is practiced. Customers will be able to use QR Codes to order their food from the table. Similarly, their drive-through or take-out experience is simplified via the online-ordering solution.

One of large e-commerce marketplace in the country with a database of more than 10 million users, Presto brings to this partnership its extensive reach, for F&B operators to enjoy greater visibility. Its strong network with e-wallet partners, credit card and bank partners for cashless (and contactless) payment methods is also very appealing to customers.

F&B operators can also be assured that with Presto’s vast experience in digital marketing, they will gain better visibility and reach. The Presto app, which customers can use to place their food orders, not only offers all modes of cashless payment but also integration to loyalty cards, in which membership points can be used to off-set one’s F&B bill. This integration helps restaurant operators to gain more customers and enjoy better bottom lines.

The third partner, Hungry, which offers app-based food delivery service will see its delivery service platform integrated into this new solution giving F&B operators a wider reach to help boost their business. With more than 7,000 plus registered riders, serving 14,000 merchants and 15 major cities, Hungry will offer the “last mile” connectivity in this solution’s F&B cycle. F&B operators will also be able to integrate their own delivery services into this new solution, making the order-to-delivery a truly seamless solution for all.

This easy-to-use and affordable solution is capable of supporting F&B businesses across all tiers in the industry encompassing Tier-1 restaurant chains, Tier-2 and Tier-3 independent and smaller restaurants and food courts.  

Cuscapi’s Chief Executive Officer, Anthony Gerald, said they are proud to have developed this revolutionary 360° F&B solution ground up using the latest cloud and mobile technologies. “This solution was built upon the vast experience we had gained from our 42 years of operations in the F&B industry. We have developed our solution to be hardware agonistic, meaning that it can run on any hardware, making it a truly affordable solution to Tier-2 and Tier-3 F&B operators, who can run it even on a smartphone. Our solution is ahead of its time and we believe it will bring about very positive impacts on food operators during this challenging time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Presto’s Chief Executive Officer, Cheong Chia Chou said with this strategic partnership, the company is moving towards the new normal together with the F&B operators and their customers.  “Our solution will enable business success for our customers as we help them go digital.  We are appreciative that our partners Cuscapi and Hungry are equally keen too, in helping their customers digitalize their businesses. Finding the right partners is pertinent in delivering a forward-looking solution to the end-users and with Cuscapi and Hungry in the partnership, we believe we are on the right track,” added Cheong.

As the delivery service partner, Hungry’s Chief Executive Officer, Gary Soo, said they are pleased to partner with Cuscapi and Presto on this groundbreaking solution. “Hungry works on an area-hub model which helps shorten service response between customers, riders and merchants. This gives our food delivery platform an edge over our competitors as we are able to deliver more speedily. We believe by integrating our service into this new solution, the F&B sales will get the boost in needs at the moment. Once again, we are excited to be part of this digital revolution for F&B operators,” said Gary Soo, Chief Executive Officer of Hungry.

The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) lauded the strategic collaboration between Cuscapi, Presto and Hungry for developing an innovative digital solution to aid local businesses, particularly F&B operators, to swiftly recoup from the economic dip caused by the pandemic.

“This partnership is timely and well aligned with the government’s short-term economic recovery plan, where the call for businesses to accelerate their digitalisation efforts was accentuated. As the nation navigates through the recovery phase of COVID-19, the need for novel tech solutions is a vital requisite. We urge more tech companies to emulate the success of this collaboration to place Malaysia back on a bullish growth trajectory,” said Gopi Ganesalingam, Vice President of MDEC’s Global Growth Acceleration Division.

In addition to providing a solution for F&B operators during this challenging time brought on by a pandemic, the offering is also expected to create job opportunities for food delivery riders. As for restaurant owners, adopting this solution can mean their workers’ livelihood is assured as business sees growth while for the economy as a whole, a robust F&B e-commerce marketplace will see opportunities created throughout the F&B supply chain.

And lastly, not forgetting customers, who can continue to enjoy their dining pleasure in a safe and digitally-driven environment.

This 360⁰ F&B solution will be rolled out in phases, starting July 2020. Custory targets to have more than 1,000 F&B operators on board by end 2020.

Copyright Press Releases 2020