Specialized E-commerce Services
E-commerce Solutions for F&B in Singapore
Stop losing 30% of every order to delivery platforms. Build your own e-commerce system and keep your margins where they belong: in your kitchen, not someone else's pocket. Our F&B e-commerce solutions help Singapore restaurants, cafes, and food businesses take back control of their online sales, build direct customer relationships, and increase profitability.
- 40+ F&B clients across Singapore
- Average 35% margin improvement from platform migration
- Full integration with existing POS and delivery systems
- Singapore-based support | PDPA compliant | SFA-ready
The Challenge
Why Restaurants & F&B in Singapore Need E-commerce
The delivery platform trap is real. GrabFood, foodpanda, and Deliveroo charge commission rates between 25% and 35% per order, and the costs do not stop there. You lose customer data, compete on price instead of quality, and depend on platforms you cannot control. Here is what is eating into your profits.
You Are Paying Someone Else to Reach Your Own Customers
GrabFood, foodpanda, and Deliveroo charge restaurants commission rates between 25% to 35% per order. For a $30 order, you are handing over $9 to $10.50 before paying for ingredients, labour, or delivery. A nasi lemak that costs $6 to make and sells for $12 nets you maybe $2 after platform fees. That is not sustainable, and the platforms profit regardless of whether your business does.
You Do Not Own the Customer Data
When someone orders through a third-party platform, they are the platform's customer, not yours. You cannot send them promotions, encourage repeat orders, or build loyalty. Acquiring a new customer costs five times more than retaining an existing one, but when you are on someone else's platform, every order might as well be from a new customer with no relationship to your brand.
You Are Competing on Price, Not Quality
Platforms prioritise search rankings based on price, delivery speed, and ratings. The best-made food does not win. The cheapest with fastest delivery wins. When you cannot differentiate on quality, story, or values, you are forced into a race to the bottom. Your margins get thinner, your food might get simpler, and your business becomes a commodity.
Platform Dependency Is Business Risk
Grab changes their algorithm. Foodpanda adjusts commission rates. Deliveroo exits a market segment. You have no control. When 80% of your online orders flow through platforms you do not control, you are not running a business. You are renting someone else's infrastructure with no guarantee it will still work tomorrow.
Our Approach
How Our E-commerce Helps Restaurants & F&B Succeed
We do not offer cookie-cutter Shopify templates. We build e-commerce systems designed specifically for Singapore F&B operations, from hawker stalls scaling up to multi-outlet restaurant groups, integrating with your existing POS, kitchen workflows, and delivery logistics.
Direct Online Ordering That Keeps 100% of Revenue
We build custom online ordering systems integrated directly with your operations. Customers order from your website or app, you fulfil, and you keep the full order value minus only payment processing at around 2-3% and delivery if applicable. Full control over pricing, promotions, and customer experience means your margins stay where they belong.
- Keep 27-33% more revenue per order compared to third-party platforms
- Full control over pricing, promotions, and the customer experience
- Own your customer data for marketing and loyalty programmes
Menu Management Built for F&B Reality
Our systems are built for the way F&B actually works. Flash sales for slow-moving inventory, temporary item removals when you run out, time-based menu changes for breakfast versus dinner, and multi-outlet menus with location-specific items. Update prices at 11 PM after a supplier call and it is done in 2 minutes.
- Real-time menu updates without waiting for platform approval
- Full control over item descriptions, photos, and positioning
- Upselling and bundling strategies that increase average order value
Integration with Your Existing Systems
We do not replace your POS. We work with it. Our e-commerce platforms integrate with major POS systems including Square, Toast, Lightspeed, and Eats365, as well as kitchen display systems, inventory management, and accounting software. Orders flow automatically with no double entry and no missed orders.
- Orders sync directly to your kitchen workflow without manual entry
- Inventory updates in real-time across all channels including dine-in and online
- Unified reporting across dine-in, takeaway, and online order channels
Delivery Flexibility Without Platform Lock-In
You can integrate with delivery services like Lalamove, Grab Express, and Pickupp without going through GrabFood or foodpanda. Or offer self-pickup with incentives. Or build your own delivery fleet for nearby orders. Pay for delivery service only, not order commission.
- Pay for delivery service only without platform commission fees
- Customers choose pickup versus delivery, saving both parties money
- Control delivery zones, minimum order values, and fulfilment logistics
Expected Results
27-33% margin improvement by eliminating platform commissions
3-5x customer lifetime value through direct relationships and repeat orders
50-70% reduction in customer acquisition cost via owned marketing channels
65% of online orders migrated to direct platform within 4 months
Free Consultation
Ready to Take Control of Your F&B Business?
Stop handing 30% of every order to platforms. Build your own e-commerce system, own your customer relationships, and keep the profit you have earned. Our solutions have helped 40+ F&B businesses in Singapore improve margins by an average of 35%.
- No obligation consultation
- Custom strategy for your business
- Response within 24 hours
Singapore Market
Understanding Restaurants & F&B in Singapore
Singapore's F&B sector is one of the world's most competitive, with over 13,000 establishments competing in a country of 5.9 million people. Online food delivery surged during COVID-19 and has not slowed down, with Singaporeans now spending an estimated $1.5 billion annually on food delivery. But the platforms that enabled survival during lockdowns are now eating profitability during recovery, with commission rates between 25% and 35% per order.
Over 13,000 F&B establishments competing in Singapore
Online food delivery penetration among the highest in Southeast Asia
Average Singaporean orders food delivery 2-3 times per week
Mobile ordering accounts for approximately 85% of all online F&B transactions
Regulatory Landscape
All food businesses in Singapore, including those operating online-only, must be SFA-licensed. Our e-commerce platforms are built with compliance in mind: proper business registration display, allergen information, halal certification status where applicable, and food safety documentation. Customer data collection must comply with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) including consent management, data encryption, and privacy policies. Alcohol sales online require proper licensing and time restrictions with no sales from 10:30 PM to 7 AM, which our platform enforces automatically.
Consumer Behavior
Singaporeans research before they order. They check your website, read reviews, compare prices, and look at your social media before hitting 'order'. Over 85% of online F&B orders happen on mobile devices, making mobile optimisation non-negotiable. Promotions drive trial while quality drives repeat business. First-time customers respond to discounts and free delivery, but repeat customers come back for quality, convenience, and consistency. Your e-commerce platform needs to support both: promotional campaigns for acquisition and loyalty programmes for retention.
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What's Included
Our E-commerce Services for Restaurants & F&B
Custom Online Ordering Platform
A fully branded e-commerce website and optional mobile app tailored to your F&B business. Not a template or drag-and-drop builder but a custom-built system designed around your menu, operations, and customer flow with mobile-responsive design and multiple payment gateways.
- Custom-designed ordering interface with your branding and mobile-responsive layout
- Menu management system with photos, descriptions, modifiers, and dietary tags
- Multiple payment gateways including PayNow, credit cards, and digital wallets
Kitchen and Operations Integration
We connect your e-commerce platform with kitchen display systems, POS, and fulfilment workflows so online orders arrive exactly where they need to be, formatted the way your kitchen expects. No double entry, no missed orders, and real-time inventory sync prevents orders for sold-out items.
- POS integration with Square, Toast, Lightspeed, Eats365, or custom systems
- Kitchen display system integration with automatic order routing and status automation
- Multi-outlet management with inventory sync and location-specific menus
Customer Relationship and Marketing Tools
This is where you win long-term: owning the customer relationship. We build in CRM functionality so you can market directly to your customers with email campaigns, SMS promotions, loyalty programmes, and targeted offers based on order history.
- Customer database and CRM with email marketing automation
- Loyalty programme with points, rewards, VIP tiers, and referral incentives
- SMS notification system for order updates and promotional campaigns
Delivery and Logistics Management
We integrate with third-party logistics providers like Lalamove, Grab Express, and Pickupp, and offer pickup scheduling so you can provide customers flexibility without locking into any single platform. Delivery zone management with automatic distance calculation ensures efficient operations.
- Third-party delivery integration via API without platform commissions
- Self-pickup with time slot booking and ready notifications
- Delivery zone management with minimum order enforcement and real-time tracking
Our Process
Phase 1: Discovery & Strategy (Weeks 1-2)
We conduct an F&B competitive analysis to understand who is winning online in your segment, map the customer journey to understand how people currently find and order from you, audit your operations including POS, kitchen workflow, and delivery logistics, and develop a custom e-commerce strategy covering features, integrations, and launch timeline.
Phase 2: Implementation (Weeks 3-10)
Our team handles platform development and design, POS and kitchen system integration, payment gateway setup and testing, menu migration and optimisation, and staff training on order management. Everything is built to work seamlessly with your existing operations from day one.
Phase 3: Launch & Optimisation (Ongoing)
We begin with a soft launch to a limited customer base for testing, then proceed to full public launch with a marketing campaign to drive platform migration. Ongoing support includes weekly performance monitoring of conversion rates and order values, monthly optimisation through A/B testing and promotional strategies, and quarterly strategy reviews.
Case Study
How a Taiwanese Bubble Tea Chain Broke Free from Platform Dependency
The Challenge
A growing bubble tea brand with 6 outlets across Singapore was losing 30% commission on every GrabFood and foodpanda order. With 70% of revenue flowing through platforms, thin margins on bubble tea at $4-7 per drink meant less than $1 profit per order. The chain had no way to build customer loyalty or collect data for marketing, making scaling economically unsustainable.
Our Approach
- Built custom online ordering platform with mobile app integrated with existing Square POS for automatic order routing
- Launched 'Order Direct, Save $2' campaign to incentivise customer migration from platforms to direct ordering
- Implemented loyalty programme rewarding repeat customers with buy 9 drinks get 1 free and VIP tiers
- Enabled pickup and third-party delivery via Lalamove without platform commission fees
- Set up CRM with email and SMS marketing automation for targeted promotions and re-engagement
Results
65% of online orders on direct platform within 4 months
Platform Migration
Improved from 40% to 62% on direct orders
Gross Margin
4.2 orders per month per customer (vs 1.1 on platforms)
Order Frequency
Increased 3.8x through repeat orders and loyalty programme
Customer Lifetime Value
“We went from paying $45,000 a month in platform fees to paying $8,000 for our own tech and delivery logistics. Same number of orders. Way more profit. And now we actually know who our customers are.”
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Custom F&B e-commerce platforms in Singapore typically range from $8,000 to $25,000 for initial development, depending on complexity, integrations, and feature requirements. Monthly maintenance and hosting range from $500 to $2,000. For a restaurant doing $50,000 monthly in platform orders and paying 30% commission ($15,000 per month), a custom platform pays for itself in under 2 months. For most F&B businesses, ROI is achieved within 3-5 months as customers migrate from platforms to direct ordering.
You will see some immediate impact from day one as you stop paying 30% commission on direct orders, but meaningful migration from platforms to your own system typically takes 3-6 months. Months 1-2 see initial customer adoption at 10-20% of online orders. Months 3-4 see marketing push and loyalty programme traction at 30-50% migration. Months 5-6 reach mature state with most customers preferring direct ordering at 50-70% migration. Early adopters migrate fast while platform-habitual customers switch with the right incentives.
You do not have to choose. Most successful F&B businesses use a hybrid model: maintain platform presence for discovery and new customer acquisition while incentivising direct ordering for repeat customers. The strategy is to use platforms as expensive customer acquisition channels. Once someone orders from you, migrate them to your direct platform with incentives like saving $2 on direct orders, loyalty programmes, and exclusive menu items. Over time, you reduce platform dependency and improve margins without losing discovery visibility.
F&B e-commerce has unique requirements that generic platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce struggle with: menu complexity with modifiers, combo meals, and time-based menus; kitchen capacity with real-time order throttling and automatic item disabling; delivery logistics with zone-based pricing and time slot booking; perishability requiring real-time stock management; and regulatory requirements including SFA licensing, allergen info, halal certification, and alcohol sales restrictions. We build F&B-specific platforms that handle these complexities out of the box.
Yes, especially if you are platform-dependent. Small operations often suffer the most from platform fees because margins are already tight. A hawker stall paying 30% commission on online orders might barely break even. For smaller businesses, we offer streamlined e-commerce solutions starting around $8,000, focusing on essentials: online menu, ordering, POS integration, and pickup or delivery. If you are doing $10,000 per month in platform orders, you are paying $3,000 in commissions. A basic direct ordering system pays for itself in 3 months and saves you $36,000 per year.
We cannot control how many customers adopt your direct platform, but the math is straightforward. Platform model charges 25-35% commission per order, while direct model costs 2-3% payment processing plus platform costs. For a restaurant doing 500 orders per month at $30 average, platform commission is $4,500 per month versus direct platform cost of approximately $900 per month, saving $3,600 monthly or $43,200 annually. If you migrate even 50% of orders, you save $21,600 per year while building customer relationships and data you own.
Free Consultation
Ready to Take Control of Your F&B Business?
Stop handing 30% of every order to platforms. Build your own e-commerce system, own your customer relationships, and keep the profit you have earned. Our solutions have helped 40+ F&B businesses in Singapore improve margins by an average of 35%.
- No obligation consultation
- Custom strategy for your business
- Response within 24 hours
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