- Joined
- Apr 9, 2009
- Messages
- 3,070
- Points
- 0
Both stalls offer customers a chance to win four pieces of iPad 2 64GB with Wi-Fi and 3G.
Singapore, July 22, 2011 - ONE sells chicken rice at $2 a plate.
Another sells prawn noodles at the same price.
But they don't stop there.
Both stalls offer customers a chance to win four pieces of iPad 2 64GB with Wi-Fi and 3G, which are selling at $1,108 at Apple stores.
Hawker price war?
Not if they belong to the same owner.
Bell Noodle House and Siang Yuen Roasted Delicacies - located at 2nd Street Cafeteria at Block 970A Toa Payoh North - are owned by Kampong Group, which runs eight food and beverage stalls in Singapore.
The discounts and lucky draws are to attract customers and to garner their feedback on the new stalls, along with the Bell Noodle House in Bukit Merah.
When a customer buys any dish from any of the three stalls, he will be given a feedback form, which has to be completed and attached to the receipt in order for the customer to be eligible for the lucky draws.
The price of the chicken rice and the prawn noodles at the Toa Payoh stalls will revert to the regular cost of $3 on Aug 1. The discount for the prawn noodles at the Bell Noodle House in Bukit Merah ended on July 10.
So, have the promotions been effective?
Siang Yuen Roasted Delicacies hawker Pauline Teo, 60, said: "About half of the customers I get to talk to are here because they heard about the iPad 2 lucky draw."
Mrs Teo runs the stall with her husband, Joe, 61.
And the promotions seem to work for the noodle stalls, too.
Mr Joe Lim, 44, who runs the Bell Noodle House in Toa Payoh with his 28-year-old girlfriend Bel Lim, said: "I'm very pleased with the promotions. The customers just keep on coming."
Kampong Group spokesman Michael Ong, 51, said: "We want to connect with the customers and find out what they like to eat.
"Also, an iPad is a very desirable product, so people will definitely fill in the form in hope of winning it."
One lucky winner will be picked every three months - Oct 1, and Jan 1, Apr 1 and Jul 1 next year. Should a new model of iPad be released before any of the draws, the prize will be upgraded so as not to shortchange the customers.
Mr Ong added that the discounts are not causing a big dent in the profits, especially since they are drawing in the customers.
He claimed that within four days of opening, the Bell Noodle House in Toa Payoh had 200 to 300 customers each day, with the number growing every day.
The Teos, who have been been selling roast duck and roast pork for 38 years, claim that they sell an average of $700 worth of food a day compared to $350 two years ago.
Fliers
On top of the discounts and the lucky draws, Mr Ong has been handing out fliers at schools and HDB estates in the vicinity.
Kampong Group manages all financial and administrative matters.
Mr Ong said this is to ensure that the hawkers can "just concentrate on cooking and delivering the best food to their customers".
At the end of the day, the marketing strategy is a win-win situation.
Mrs Chelsea Teo, a manager in her 40s, said: "I think I am getting good value for the $2 I spent on the chicken rice."
Her friend, part-time tutor Madam Sally Lee, also in her 40s, agreed: "It's good value but even after the promotions end, we still might come back here for the food.
"The iPad 2 lucky draw is quite an interesting promotion, it definitely draws the crowd."
