hungrygowhere ‘Breaks the Ice’ in Malaysia

September 4, 2013

hungrygowhere ‘Breaks the Ice’ in Malaysia

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDSTM representative (Carim Valerio) presenting Allen Lew, CEO of Digital L!fe, Singtel with certificate

Kuala Lumpur 4^th September 2013 – Foodies in Malaysia now have a new reason to celebrate. HungryGoWhere, recognised as Singapore’s most popular food website and mobile app, is all set to make its mark in Malaysia. With an all-new service created just for the local Malaysian market, HungryGoWhere Malaysia brings to life to each user’s food discovery journey.

The website and mobile app officially made its foray into the Malaysian market with a grand launch event held at the ice skating rink in Sunway Pyramid on 24^th of August. The public event also witnessed the setting of a brand new entry in the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ – the world’s Longest Line of Nasi Lemak Bungkus!

The introduction of HungryGoWhere in Malaysia is a move by SingTel to expand the brand beyond Singapore’s shores to other parts of Asia and Australia following its acquisition of the service last year. With the expansion, SingTel will be the leading digital authority on food and culinary establishments and is estimated to serve over 70% of netizens who rely on mobile and online means for food and restaurant reviews.

HungryGoWhere creates an interactive new experience for diners to discover places to eat. The website and mobile app also feature reviews and recommendations of eateries submitted by the general public, which makes the site unbiased and real. HungryGoWhere Malaysia has plans in the next phase to incorporate personalised recommendations which suggest places to eat based on users’ search and dining habits. The company is working with Nara Logics’, based in Cambridge, Mass., USA, to let users input their personal preferences, tastes and interests to increase the relevancy of each search.

HungryGoWhere users will be able to search, discover and locate the best dishes and food outlets around Malaysia while discovering what and where other foodies – and even their friends on Facebook – are eating, as the website and mobile app connects via Facebook and users can view their friends’ recommendations and reviews if they login using their Facebook account.

Users of the service will also be able to provide their own input by snapping a photo and writing their own review, or simply share their food discoveries. HungryGoWhere Malaysia also boasts its own editorial section which features ideas on what to eat, where to dine and what to cook. Heading up the editorial section is Joyceline Tully, Managing Editor of HungryGoWhere Malaysia.

Allen Lew, CEO of Digital L!fe speaking at the media briefing for HungroGoWhere

GUINNESS WORLD RECORDSTM representative (Carim Valerio), Allen Lew, CEO of Digital L!fe, Singtel and Nora Danish in front of the line of Nasi Lemak Bungkus

Speaking on the decision to enter the Malaysian market, Ms Tully said, “Malaysia enjoys a rich and diverse food culture, as most Malaysians love to eat! This has given rise to an array of food blogs. In fact, food blogging, although prevalent around the world, is experiencing faster growth in Malaysia than anywhere else. However, there has yet to be a definitive guide to food and dining establishments here.”

“Diners are turn to more direct social media avenues such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for peer recommendations on where to eat. HungryGoWhere fuses both the traditional and social media elements of food discovery, and as we are not paid to provide food reviews, users can expect pure, unbiased posts,” she added.

HungryGoWhere users will experience a beautifully designed and easily accessible website and mobile app. With just a few swipes on a smartphone, they will have a complete overview of recommendations (reviews, ratings, photos) from food bloggers, critics and their friends. Searching for a specific restaurant, dish or location on HungryGoWhere becomes an easy task and provides the user with a clear guide on price range, distance and personalised recommendations.

Indeed, HungryGoWhere does have a lot going for it, making its foray into Malaysia an intelligent one. 38 percent of internet users in Malaysia are found to be between the ages of 15 and 24. An additional 26 percent are between the ages of 25 and 34. Furthermore, social networking accounts for one-third of all time spent by these groups online.

“We also found that Malaysia’s consumer price index rose by 1.3 percent in January, from a year earlier, mainly due to higher food and non-alcoholic beverage prices. These data shows us that creating a guide to affordable food has become relevant in the Malaysian market,” said Ms Tully.