he first time, customers can get Lego sets delivered on-demand in 30 minutes,” Chris Urban, director of marketplace for Foodpanda, told Inside Retail. Convenience reimagined Urban explained that with this partnership, customers can simply order their favourite Lego sets via Foodpanda shops in Singapore or through Pandamart stores in Malaysia.  “This meets the demands of a growing pool of mobile-savvy ‘convenience customers’, who increasingly seek quick, easy and fuss-free shopping from the comfort of their homes,” he added. Urban went on to say that as quick commerce pioneers, Foodpanda is always looking to better cater to customers’ evolving lifestyle needs, and therefore the move to introduce new categories, such as toys and games, was a natural one, beyond the usual food and grocery items.  “In the first half of 2022, compared to the same period last year, Foodpanda has seen orders for the games segment increase by 450 per cent,” he noted. At present, customers in Singapore can order their favourite Lego sets on Foodpanda Shops, while customers in Malaysia can purchase from selected Pandamart ‘cloud stores’ (bricks-and-mortar stores purpose-built for delivery; no customers allowed) in Klang Valley and Seremban.  Nuances matter Foodpanda is approaching the Malaysia and Singapore markets slightly differently. According to Urban, Foodpanda operates Asia’s largest quick commerce network with over 300 owned Pandamart cloud stores, and more than 50,000 retail partners on Foodpanda Shops in 11 markets across the region.  “While both Foodpanda Shops and Pandamart provide on-demand deliveries, they operate differently. Foodpanda Shops is a marketplace where brands and retailers operate their own store front, while Pandamart hosts its own inventory in cloud stores operated by Foodpanda,” he explained. As different retailers may be located in different areas across the country, Foodpanda looks for ways to best connect brands to their customers and give them a choice.  “We also recognise that each market is unique in terms of customer preferences and shopping trends.Therefore, Foodpanda takes a hyper-localised approach in ensuring that customers still get the products they want or need, delivered quickly to their doorsteps,” he stated. Lego’s point of view From Lego’s perspective, this partnership is all about providing convenience and speed to customers looking for gifts by providing them with an easy and effortless in-app shopping experience. “The Lego System in Play, with the Lego brick at the core, is the ultimate creative medium – people of all ages, genders and cultures can build, unbuild and rebuild anything they can imagine,”  U-Fong Chua, Lego Group’s head of e-commerce for Southeast Asia, told Inside Retail. According to Chua, regardless of their interests or hobbies, Lego has a set that helps everyone explore their creativity.  “Ever since Ole Kirk Kristiansen founded our company 90 years ago, we’ve had a clear purpose – to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play,” he noted.  90 years strong As Lego celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, Chua shared that the business is carrying on Kristiansen’s legacy.  “Our mission is – and will always be – to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through play. Moving forward, we will continue our efforts to ensure children around the world can play and learn, and to reach more children with Lego play and the benefits it brings,” he said. Over the years, the company has innovated in a number of ways. For example its Lego Dots Lego Art ranges, and fan-favourite play experiences like Lego Super Mario, have all extended the appeal of its brand through the digital age. “We ensure there is a Lego set for everyone – with ranges that span interests and hobbies from arts and crafts and space exploration to movie magic and sporting and superhero adventures,” Chua stressed. A good year This year is also an anniversary for Foodpanda, which marks its 10th year in Asia. Foodpanda was the first platform to launch a food delivery mobile app in Singapore back in 2012. Today, it’s the largest food and delivery platform in Asia outside of China. “Tech has always been the core of our business, and this year we pushed the boundaries even further bringing customers new and innovative products to improve their everyday lives,” Urban explained. In addition to introducing new segments on Foodpanda Shops, the brand has launched a meal donation feature, piloted drone deliveries and introduced a new express delivery feature called Pandago.  “In July, we officially opened our new regional headquarters in Singapore, and celebrated the launch of the Foodpanda PowerUp! Tech Academy,” he said.