DBS launches chatbot Foodster for online meal ordering

It will allow customers to order food through Facebook Messenger and pay through DBS.

DBS unveiled new retail service chatbot Foodster where customers can order food through Facebook Messenger in a move to enter the chat commerce market, an announcement revealed.

Payment is cashless via the DBS PayLah! e-wallet or DBS or POSB credit or debit cards, DBS said.

Foodster has already been trialed and adopted by seven food and beverage merchants in Marina Bay such as Subway, Kopi Ong, Gemstar, NUDE Seafood and Omnivore. Kopitiam and Holey Moley are slated to join the network.

“If instant messaging is the way forward for people to communicate, then we need to help business find a way to engage their customers on such platforms simply, seamlessly and invisibly,” head of consumer banking group at DBS Singapore Jeremy Soo said.

To use the chatbot, consumers can search for the merchant’s name followed by “Foodster” on Messenger, the announcement said. Customers are also given the option to customise their orders by chatting with a chatbot representing the selected restaurant.

Depending on the order, customers can typically pick up their orders 10 to 20 minutes after payment, DBS said.

Chat commerce which is simply e-commerce transactions through messaging platforms, allows businesses to make use of existing platforms to reach a large pool of customers.