Deliveroo: Virtual gift cards purchases for employees have risen by 900% since February

Employers in Hong Kong are turning to food delivery as they hope to help employees working remotely, while virtual gift cards are used for remote meetings and webinars with customers and prospects, according to Deliveroo's corporate arm Deliveroo for Business.

As Hong Kong has been undergoing another phase of work from home during the third wave of COVID-19, sales of virtual gift cards for employees have also grown by a staggering 900% in Hong Kong since February. It's expected that the demand will continue as Hong Kong adapts to its new working style.

At the same time, the sales of virtual gift cards for employees have grown by 300% since February in Singapore too.

Another key trend observed by the company was the rise of virtual gift cards used for remote meetings and webinars with customers and prospects. HK$500 gift cards are most commonly given in Hong Kong, with companies moving from providing a shared catered lunch in the office to individual meal allowances for virtual team lunches.

Corporate businesses in Hong Kong are five times more likely to purchase virtual gift cards for staff than those in Singapore, but the majority of Hong Kong employees are solely using their food perks when working from the office.

In addition, Hong Kong companies were three times less likely than companies in Singapore to adopt more flexible food delivery policies for employees working remotely, such as allowing them to order food to their home rather than only to the office, and beyond lunch hours when they work longer hours.

Across both markets, Friday lunches continued to be the most popular virtual meeting point of the week as companies hosted weekly lunch sessions to stay connected with employees while teams work remotely.

"Working from home definitely has its benefits, though it becomes increasingly difficult to find a balance between working and personal time. This is why more companies are choosing to reward their staff for all their hard work and to keep them engaged away from the workplace," said Karl Bachian, head of Deliveroo for Business, Hong Kong and Singapore.

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