DBS Bank has introduced a facility for its customers to pre-order food and drinks using a Facebook Messenger and skip queries. A first of a king initiative in Singapore, the facility provides cashless payment using DBS PayLah! e-wallet or DBS and POSB credit or debit cards. Customers can customize their orders, such as requesting less sugar or more milk in their coffee or tea – simply by chatting with a chatbot that represents participating restaurants. The bank has named it DBS Foodster and said the initiative takes aim at the global US$112 billion eCommerce market. There is no need to download a specific app to order ahead at participating restaurants, indicating that the bank recognizes app fatigue among consumers. The bank has chosen to work with Facebook as it has some 4.1 million users in Singapore. The bank itself has over four million debit and credit cards in circulation and over 1 million PayLah! e-wallet users.
