ComfortDelGro steers into lifestyle scene with new app

Transport company ComfortDelGro has launched a new lifestyle and mobility app titled "Zig", stepping into the ring with competitors Grab and Google Pay. Conceptualised and operated by CDG Zig Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the ComfortDelGro Group, the new app marks the group’s entry into the lifestyle arena while leveraging on its strength in the mobility business. Slated to launch on 9 March, ComfortDelGro said that app will have an interactive map-based interface to allow users to search for lifestyle services. The app will allow users to make a reservation at a dining venue, purchase tickets to entertainment outlets and attractions, and plan journeys from one point to another. It is added that each experience can be customised to fit a user’s personal preferences, whether they are adventure seekers or creatures of habits. 

To kickstart the app, Zig has partnered Chope and Klook to offer users a combined network of over 1,500 dining options ranging from Asian, Mexican to Western cuisines, as well as over 300 entertainment deals such as hotel staycations and kayaking excursions. Zig has also tied up with local F&B players such as MXG Classics (which sells Mala Xiang Guo), cake shop PIVOT, and Japanese eatery Gyu Nami. By doing so it hopes to encourage users to explore districts and neighbourhoods. Zig also offers journey planning and taxi booking services on the same platform, making travelling from one place to another an easier process.

According to a press release, Zig will be rolling out more "innovative services" as more users are onboarded. It will also be rolling out a new loyalty rewards programmes in the second quarter of 2021. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out for ComfortDelGro's markeing strategies for Zig.

Yang Ban Seng, managing director and group CEO of ComfortDelGro, said: “In a digital world, mobility is no longer just about simply transporting people from point A to point B. It is about bringing services to people wherever they are, whenever they need. This is the first time we are rolling out such an all-in-one lifestyle and mobility app that we hope will provide our commuters with more choices.”

Liew Wei Chee, Zig CEO, added that Zig will take on a "fun persona and bold visual aesthetic", and has been designed to give users a whole gamut of features to make lifestyle discovery fun, socially interactive and most importantly, more convenient. 

ComfortDelGro's entrance into the lifestyle app scene comes as the company saw a decline in revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year. In its latest financial report published last month, ComfortDelGro saw its group revenue dropped by SG$672.5 million to SG$3.2 billion in 2020. ComfortDelGro saw a 39.3% (SG$261.5 million) drop in revenue for its taxi business, registering a revenue of SG$403.2 million. This decrease was due mainly to rental waiver schemes by the company to help drivers in Singapore and China weather the COVID-19 fallout. In Singapore, rental was completely waived for two months during the circuit breaker lockdown. Meanwhile, the group saw a decrease of 10.8% (SG$311.2 million) in revenue for its public transport service businesses as ridership and schedules across all its operations took a hit from strict social distancing measures and lockdowns.

Yang said then: “It has not been an easy 12 months, and we are certainly not out of the woods. But we have seen a steady uptick in business activity especially in the last quarter, and we remain hopeful that gradual global recovery will continue. We will double down on our digitalisation efforts and transformation to gear up our businesses to better prepare for and take advantage of recovery opportunities.”

Separately, Malaysian airline company AirAsia has also landed in the Singapore market, launching its food delivery platform. Named "airasia food", the platform offers consumers in Singapore a long list of menu options from popular dining outlets such as No Signboard Seafood, The Shepherd's Pie, Swee Choon Tim Sum, Maki-san, Pizza Express and more. In a press conference, Tony Fernandes, CEO airasia Group, said by expanding its food delivery into Singapore, AirAsia wants to give small restaurants in Singapore a chance to onboard a delivery platform, while having a decent return for their hard work. This comes as AirAsia identified one of merchants' main concern before onboarding a food delivery app is the high commission rate charged. airasia food boasts to have "the lowest commission rate in town", charging no more than 15% for its merchants. 

To promote its app, airasia food is offering unlimited free delivery for a duration of two weeks for food deliveries within 8km from the order point. According to the company, it is currently working with 80 restaurants on its platform, with 300 more in the process of setting up. Using its logistics arm Teleport for its food orders, airasia food also touts to have 500 riders in its fleet and to deliver every order under 60 minutes. 

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