Safe Select PH is Metro Manila's leading online fresh market, offering fresh produce, seafood, and meats sourced daily from local markets, delivered straight to your doorstep with a freshness guarantee.
When COVID hit in 2020, getting fresh groceries became a major challenge in the Philippines. Safe Select saw an opportunity to transform the traditional palengke (fresh market) experience into a premium online service, delivering hand-selected fresh produce directly to customers' doors.
Key Takeaways:
- Turning high mobile website traffic into long-term customer relationships
- Replacing expensive remarketing campaigns with cost-effective push notifications
- Building customer loyalty through biweekly ordering patterns and personalized service
- Launching a mobile app in the app-dominant Philippine market
- Strengthening connections with a premium customer base through an intuitive mobile experience
Reimagining the Fresh Market
"We started Safe Select when we were struggling to get groceries during the lockdown," explains Ralph Natividad, who co-runs the family business with his mother. "We wanted to recreate the palengke experience but make it premium, fresher, and more convenient."
Rather than braving crowded, hot markets, Safe Select’s customers enjoy hand-selected produce delivered in air-conditioned vehicles, ensuring peak freshness upon arrival.
This personal touch extends to their customer service. “We personally call and text customers about any issues, even for small discrepancies of just a few pesos. It’s about trust,” Ralph notes. Their quality guarantee offers immediate refunds for freshness concerns, building confidence with customers who see Safe Select as a reliable partner in their grocery needs.
The Retention Challenge
Mobile apps are central to daily life in the Philippines, from banking to food delivery.
For premium services like Safe Select, meeting customers where they are - on their phones - is crucial.
But customer acquisition costs (CAC) are high. “Changing someone’s shopping habits is expensive,” Ralph explains. “The key is to retain them long enough to see a return. If we get a customer to order biweekly, their lifetime value (LTV) is significant.”
With 70% of traffic coming from mobile devices, Safe Select needed a mobile-first strategy to retain customers and reduce dependence on expensive remarketing campaigns.
Finding the Right Mobile App Partner
After researching competitors, Safe Select decided on a mobile app to strengthen their presence. But they needed a solution that wouldn’t add operational complexity.
MobiLoud offered the perfect fit.
“It’s a solution where you don’t have to do anything,” Ralph shares. “Anything you update on your website reflects immediately on the app. The team handles everything.”
This hands-off approach allowed Safe Select to focus on their core business while leveraging push notifications to replace costly Google Ads retargeting.
“Having your brand’s icon on someone’s phone is powerful. It keeps you top of mind and reduces customer churn,” Ralph explains.
Launching the SafeSelect Mobile App
Safe Select rolled out their app with a focus on providing immediate value to their most loyal customers:
- Exclusive Flash Deals: App-only discounts on fresh produce.
- VIP Benefits: Seamless integration of their loyalty program for discounts and monthly gifts.
- Push Notifications: Timely updates on restocks, fresh arrivals, and limited-time offers.
- Shopify Integration: A seamless connection between their app and existing Shopify store.
By prioritizing premium customer segments, Safe Select ensured their app was a natural extension of their service, enhancing convenience and driving biweekly orders.
Moving Forward
Traditional palengkes remain popular, but Safe Select is betting on their app to deepen relationships with their growing customer base. With MobiLoud, they’re simplifying retention while reducing CAC - a winning combination for long-term growth.
Curious About Launching Your Own App?
Get started with a free preview and see how MobiLoud can transform your store into a mobile app that:
- Syncs automatically with your website
- Sends unlimited, free push notifications
- Doesn’t add operational overhead for your team
Safe Select PH is Metro Manila's leading online fresh market, offering fresh produce, seafood, and meats sourced daily from local markets, delivered straight to your doorstep with a freshness guarantee.
