Kakao continues to launch new businesses and features, today announcing that it would be breaking into the competitive food ordering market, currently dominated by Baedal Minjok and Yogiyo. It’s the first new business model out of several others which were mentioned when CEO Jimmy Rim spoke about the direction of the company earlier this year.
“Kakao Jumun” or Kakao Order, is built into Kakao Talk, meaning that its 42 million users don’t need to download a separate app. Instead, it integrates with the Plus Friend feature which lets you follow businesses and brands. Brands which support ordering through Kakao will now have an order button on their profile.
Kakao has started out with 14 different options on offer including pizza, burgers and Korean food. Like other ordering apps, it keeps you posted about what’s happening with your order after you’ve placed it, letting you know the status and estimated arrival time. Payment can be made with Kakao Pay, credit card, or in cash.
Companies can also use the new feature to share new menu items or communicate directly with customers.
Kakao Order is run by CNT Tech, one of Korea’s top solutions provider for online food order software which Kakao invested in last year. CNT Tech connects Kakao users directly to food outlets using its in-house POS system, and will be a big opportunity for the venture to increase its reach in the mobile space.
“We look forward to a positive response from users now that they can easily order food from popular brands using KakaoTalk,” said a spokesperson for the project. “We’ll continue to improve the service to increase user satisfaction, and expand the range of brands available.”
