Foodpanda shifts grocery strategy toward planned shopping

Larger baskets and higher order frequency are pushing quick commerce beyond emergency purchases as consumers prioritise assortment, reliability, and convenience.

Foodpanda is adjusting its grocery and marketing strategy across Asia Pacific as customers increasingly plan purchases around convenience, assortment, and personal preferences rather than use quick commerce only for urgent needs.

Monika Mikušová, Regional Senior Director of Marketing for APAC at foodpanda, said consumers are also turning to artificial intelligence to plan meals around diet, budget, and other preferences before moving to a delivery platform.

That shift is changing how foodpanda approaches discovery and personalisation. The company uses previous orders, browsing behaviour, and location to surface more relevant options, whilst grouping customers into broader profiles for marketing rather than relying on individual-level targeting.

“Personalisation should be driving a simpler, more smooth customer journey,” Mikušová said.

The bigger change, however, is in grocery behaviour.

Foodpanda initially assumed quick commerce would be driven mainly by emergency purchases such as forgotten household items or missing ingredients. Customer behaviour pointed instead to stronger demand for broader assortment and dependable fulfilment.

“What matters to the customers is actually to have the right assortment conveniently delivered to them,” Mikušová said.

That finding led foodpanda to expand its grocery proposition through Panda Mart XL, which carries around 30% more inventory and is designed to support larger, planned purchases, including weekly shopping.

The company has seen basket sizes rise 7% over the past two years, while order frequency increased 8%.

For retailers and delivery platforms, the shift suggests quick commerce is evolving from an emergency channel into a broader household shopping proposition, with assortment depth, reliability and relevant discovery becoming as important as speed.

Mikušová will be speaking at the Retail Asia Summit in Singapore on September 29, 2026.