Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the e-commerce service industry has grown exponentially. From food deliveries to Instagram vendors and even supermarkets, almost every service has a doorstep delivery option. Food delivery services are particularly on the rise especially in major cities like Lagos and Abuja. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) residents in Lagos alone spent about N827 billion ($2 billion) eating out in 2019 and this represented 34% of total food expenditure in the state that year. These e-commerce options have made it easier to automate and simplify daily activities, especially in bustling and active cities like Port Harcourt and Lagos. The only problem with these systems is that oftentimes to get food delivered to you have to download an app or sign in to a web page and register before the process begins. Sometimes apps have glitches and sometimes an app might not be available for your phone’s operating system. On the other hand, signing up online is an even longer process and this defeats the point of getting food delivered, which is something people do for speed and convenience.
To mitigate this, Kilimanjaro restaurant has launched a Whatsapp chatbot for food deliveries called Lulu. It’s the first brick-and-mortar restaurant to employ this technology. This chatbot helps customers chat their way through deliveries and have their items delivered in a faster and easier way. If you’ve ever been hungry and the food ordering process seemed to take too long, or you’re not too keen on downloading a new food app to add to the dozens of apps eating up space on your phone, then this chatbot is for you. This feature was introduced to improve customer experience and make Kilimanjaro’s variety of delicious local food options more accessible to their customers. Most people already have Whatsapp on their phones and with Lulu, all you have to do is save a number and start ordering instead of downloading and registering on an app. This is an added layer of convenience for most customers.
The process of interacting with Lulu is pretty straightforward
Lulu handles deliveries, complaints, and inquiries and its response time is under a minute. To make an order all you need to do is;
- say “Hi” to Lulu and click “Place an order” under the list of services.
- Pick a restaurant; The bot will ask for your location directly so it’ll find the closest Kilimanjaro restaurant to place your order. Lulu then shows you a list of available items.
- You add what you want to your cart.
- Pick between delivery or pickup.
- Finally, you choose to pay on delivery or pay online.
For delivery, Lulu asks for your name and number and the specific location you want it delivered to. You insert these and just like that, your food is on its way. The restaurant that got my delivery called me in under five minutes to confirm and stated the exact amount of time it’ll take to get to me. With Lulu, inquiries and deliveries are not only faster, they’re error-free. I loved being presented with available options quickly and efficiently without someone saying “Let me see what’s available and get back to you”. I also loved the easier checkout options and not having to download another delivery and logistics app.
Kilimanjaro Restaurant has established itself as a resilient and innovative company over the years. The company has lasted through multiple recessions in Nigeria and rising inflation while finding creative ways to make its customers’ lives easier. Now with Lulu, its services have been expanded to bring its customers a more convenient method of getting delicious food right at their doorstep. In a country with 10 million estimated WhatsApp users and counting, where people do everything from business to personal entertainment on Whatsapp, this chatbot is a great move in the right direction.
To get food delivered to you faster and easier just click here, say hi to Lulu, and get food right at your doorstep in a few minutes.
