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Food delivery apps

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Food delivery apps
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Food delivery apps. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
More than 200,000 gig workers staged protests across major Indian cities on New Year’s Eve to demand for legislative protection, social security benefits and better wages. Photo: Anadolu via Getty Images
India

Gig workers’ strike in India spurs debate on human cost of delivery race

More than 200,000 gig workers recently staged protests across major Indian cities, prompting concerns about the necessity of quick commerce.

China’s private sector

China to probe food delivery platforms under anti-monopoly law

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China economy

Price wars in China

E-commerce

Alibaba ramps up China instant commerce push with Cainiao and Tmall tie-up

Partnership designed to expand warehouse network and boost Taobao Shangou’s rapid service as rivals Meituan and JD.com scale up facilities.

Cainiao will launch new or expand instant commerce warehouses for Tmall Supermarket. Photo: Shutterstock
Alibaba

Meituan swings into loss in ‘milk tea’ subsidy war with instant commerce rivals

Hefty subsidies on milk tea and lunchboxes drive Meituan from profit to loss, underscoring the ferocity of the war to reshape food delivery.

Hong Kong economy

Editorial | Keeta’s fair play pledge will in the end benefit Hong Kong consumers

Credit also goes to the Competition Commission for leaning on the company to help create a more level playing field for all participants.

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Hong Kong economy

Cheaper meals on the menu after delivery firm Keeta vows fair play in Hong Kong

Restaurant operators say lower commissions and fewer restrictions by food delivery platform will help them lower prices and boost business.

Keeta’s logo at a restaurant in Kennedy Town. Photo: Edmond So
Alibaba

Alibaba rebrands food delivery app Ele.me in instant retail push

A beta version of the updated app, available to select users, adopts Taobao’s signature orange colour instead of Ele.me’s blue theme.

E-commerce

Alibaba boosts instant commerce drive with US$281 million convenience store plan

A network of Taobao-branded partner convenience stores is expected to roll out in more than 200 cities across the mainland.

Viral stories

Japan man exploits delivery platform refund policy, eats 1,000 meals for free

Unemployed man operates 124 accounts on delivery platform, routinely signs up and cancels memberships within days to elude detection.

A jobless man in Japan was arrested for taking advantage of a delivery platform to eat over 1,000 meals for free in two years. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/163.com
E-commerce

HungryPanda steers clear of price wars, prioritises quality and service

Compared with bigger rivals like Uber Eats or DoorDash, HungryPanda has to work with merchant partners to enhance packaging for Chinese food.

HungryPanda operates in markets with ‘less price sensitive’ consumers, according to the company’s director of public affairs. Photo: Handout
Alibaba

Alibaba’s Amap AI feature an instant hit with 400 million users since launch

As of June, Amap had 895.5 million monthly active users, making it the fourth biggest mobile app in China by that measure.

Super Typhoon Ragasa

‘Wartime readiness’: Shenzhen scrambles as Typhoon Ragasa nears China’s tech hub

Storm’s approach sees demand for supplies surge, inundating important delivery services, after southern Chinese city put on highest alert.

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Alibaba

Alibaba-Meituan battle heats up as rivals clash in in-store dining: report

Alibaba’s latest initiative is expected to start in selected districts in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Jiaxing in eastern Zhejiang province.

Alibaba’s in-store dining launch comes 10 days ahead of China’s “golden week” holiday. Photo: Shutterstock
E-commerce

Immediate gratification: instant commerce transforms China’s retail market

Instant commerce has developed over a short period of time, as providers expanded their on-demand delivery coverage beyond food.

Illustration: Henry Wong
Alibaba

Amap, Alibaba’s answer to Google Maps, sees millions test new ranking service

Amap Street Stars uses AI algorithms to rank mainland destinations including restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions.

Alibaba

Alibaba mobilises merchants on premium Tmall site to join instant commerce drive

The campaign sees more than 260 brands on Tmall join Alibaba’s instant commerce push against Meituan.

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E-commerce

Meituan rallies staff around expansion plans, job prospects amid delivery war

Meituan plans to roll out “subsidies to pension insurance” for all its delivery workers across the country in 2025, CEO Wang Xing says.

Meituan pledges a stable income and career prospects for all of its delivery workers. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Chinese delivery giant Meituan releases AI model to take on Alibaba, DeepSeek

LongCat-Flash-Chat is on par with the performance of models from DeepSeek, Alibaba and Moonshot AI, according to its technical report.

Alibaba

Alibaba rises most in 3 years on outlook for on-demand delivery and cloud business

Company’s shares jump 19 per cent as investors move on from interim results to focus on quick commerce numbers and AI development.

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Alibaba

Alibaba sees strong consumer mindshare in instant commerce push

Alibaba also expects its cloud computing business to remain on an upwards trajectory in the coming quarters, CEO Eddie Wu says.

Alibaba’s cloud computing unit was the company’s fastest-growing business segment in the June quarter. Photo: Shutterstock
Meituan

Meituan sales weaken, profit plummets amid ‘irrational’ delivery price war

Meituan’s second-quarter net profit plunged 96.8 per cent to 365.3 million yuan from 11.4 billion yuan a year earlier.

Chinese on-demand local services giant Meituan saw its second-quarter earnings fall. Photo: Shutterstock
JD.com

JD.com quarterly sales beat expectations but food delivery foray slices profit

The Beijing-based firm reported sales of US$49.7 billion for the quarter ended June, about 6 per cent above projections.

E-commerce

Alibaba beats Meituan’s delivery market share, fuelled by subsidies

After Meituan stopped offering free drinks, Alibaba topped the daily delivery volume on Friday and Saturday, LatePost reported.

E-commerce

Free drinks fuel delivery wars between Alibaba and Meituan

The past week has seen an escalation in the ‘free drinks war’ between the delivery giants, an extension of their broader price competition.

A delivery rider for Alibaba’s Ele.me seen on the street in Yancheng, Jiangsu province, May 14, 2025. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
Alibaba

Alibaba debuts loyalty scheme with shopping discounts, hotel perks

The membership programme is designed to drive mutual growth in various Alibaba services by leveraging the firm’s core e-commerce business.

A new multi-tier membership programme on Taobao offers users benefits across several Alibaba apps in an effort to drive business synergy. Photo: Shutterstock
Alibaba

Alibaba unites online shopping, travel booking under new loyalty scheme

Members of the new membership programme will enjoy benefits across a range of Alibaba services, sources say.

E-commerce

Meituan, JD.com build central kitchens to ratchet up China’s delivery war

China’s catering industry is transforming, as internet platform operators become more involved in the food supply chain.

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