Page 32 - Islands Business May 2023

ICT

CYBER FOOD FIJI: FROM NEAR

DEFEAT TO SURVIVAL

By Angus Delaney

Technology has provided a fair share of both challenges
and opportunities for Majid Shahzad, CEO and Founder of
Cyber Food Fiji.
When he started the business in 2018, Shahzad had just
one vehicle, three partner restaurants and a vision – to be
delivering food and essential goods efficiently around Fiji.
Now, using Cyber Food’s social media platforms, website,
and app, they host 126 vendors and deliver throughout Suva,
Sigatoka, Nadi and Lautoka. They’ve also become well-
respected as the premier food delivery service in Fiji. Majid Shahzad (centre) and his team. Photo: UNCDF
On the way to gaining this status however, Shahzad ex-
perienced several setbacks, the biggest of which occurred
during the pandemic, when Cyber Food was often delivering “Truth be told, I was extremely defeated and ready to
for people stuck at home due to isolation and lockdowns. close the business,” Shahzad says.
Lockdown rules prevented face-to-face interaction It was at this time that the company was assisted by the
between Cyber Food staff and their customers, meaning United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) which
payments had to be made through internet bank transfer or provided financial and technical assistance to the business
mobile money, which impacted on the company’s cash flow. under its Pacific Digital Economy Programme. Now Cyber
“Often times [payment] did not reach our bank accounts Food can facilitate Westpac credit and debit payments.
for 3-5 days, impacting our daily cash budgets,” recalls The digital aspects of their business have been elevated,
Shahzad. including digitalised order confirmation and tracking, and
Even worse, some staff members told customers to pay greater capacity to onboard more food providers.
delivery fees directly into their personal bank accounts “[Their] assistance helped me so much, [it] has helped
instead of the company account. form the current state of my business,” said Shahzad.
“In this way, I lost nearly $18,500 in one year. [It] was a He is now expanding the operation to offer delivery ser-
tremendous hit. vices to other small businesses.
“My bank was zeroed, and my personal savings were spent
paying for fuel, wages and salaries. I had nothing left. editor@islandsbusiness.com

Continued from page 31 reaching benefits, including reducing the cost of exchanging
goods and services, driving down the role of cash and manual
Vanuatu, and hosts an e-commerce platform, VitiKart, aimed processing of payments, and improving economic efficiency.”
at connecting micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs In the online shopping space, locally owned Klikpei is
with their customers through a secure online platform. Solomon Islands’ first e-commerce platform, with 50 listed
That Fiji-Vanuatu payments initiative was a winning solution retailers offering local handicrafts, computers, furniture and
at the Pacific Islands Fintech Innovation Challenge hosted by food. The platform says it will add utilities to its listings soon.
UNCDF in Singapore last year and will reduce the reliance on Papua New Guinea has Jungle and BzzMart, online stores
brick-and-mortar services in the Pacific’s vital remittances which work with bricks and mortar retailers and join the
sector. longer established Fortuna Online.
Meanwhile, Samoa’s Automated Transfer System (SATS), a UNCTAD says several Pacific online shopping portals can be
new digital platform supported by the International Finance considered experimental, and that “the challenge of small
Corporation (IFC), will enable electronic domestic payments, consumer markets is exacerbated by high delivery logistics
ensuring real time settlement of interbank payments. costs, particularly for last-mile delivery.” It notes many
Launching the service, Central Bank of Samoa Governor still take cash on delivery and will continue to do so for the
Maiava Atalina Emma Ainuu-Enari said: “It will enable us to foreseeable future.
better serve consumers and will facilitate the ability of banks
and financial institutions to offer new services. It is a major editor@islandsbusiness.com
pillar of our move to a more digital economy, bringing far-

32 Islands Business, May 2023