Singapore's largest retail landlord, CapitaLand, will be launching two new platforms - one for e-commerce and one for online food ordering - to complement sales at its shopping malls here.
The move is to drive sales for retailers during Singapore's phase one reopening of businesses and beyond, it said yesterday. Both platforms will be accessible by the public through the CapitaStar app and CapitaLand's mall websites from June 1.
Mr Chris Chong, managing director of retail at CapitaLand Singapore, said: "The circuit breaker has brought to the fore the importance of an omnichannel, 24/7 strategy for Singapore's retailers.
"As the operator of Singapore's largest mall network, we want to help our retailers reach out to more consumers and online business opportunities by leveraging the strong brand awareness of CapitaLand and the digital capabilities we have built up over the years."
The digital eCapitaMall will feature the merchandise of retailers, the majority of whom also operate in CapitaLand's Singapore malls. Shoppers can browse online before purchasing in-store, or browse in-store before purchasing online for delivery or in-store collection. On Capita3Eats, customers will be able to opt for delivery, takeaway or dine-in.
eCapitaMall's in-store collection and Capita3Eat's dine-in ordering functions will be available from the third quarter, and when the relevant Covid-19 precautionary measures have been lifted.
Mr Chong said retailers will be able to tap the more than one million CapitaStar members in Singapore, who will earn reward points for transactions made on either platforms.
The platforms are not limited to existing retailers at CapitaLand malls. CapitaLand aims to bring more than 500 brands on board its platforms by the end of the year, a spokesman said.
Partners that have committed to sign up for the new platforms include major food and beverage (F&B) players Zouk Group and Minor Food Group, which manage brands such as Five Guys and ThaiExpress, as well as retailers like Fossil and Hooga.
Zouk Group chief executive Andrew Li said: "We are pleased to be one of the first F&B brands to be on CapitaLand's new e-commerce platform, which complements our expansion plans into the digital space."
Mr Koay Gray Sen, chief executive of homeware store Hooga, said the e-commerce platform will act as an enabler for the brand to step into the online market space and reach more customers, as it looks to close the gap between its offline and online sales channels.
