Dotdot unveils one-fit-all payment solution for food businesses

Dotdot, a four-year-old fintech startup, launches its innovative product, DDPay. The move marks a significant shift towards digitization for small-scale eateries and more restaurants, a largely untapped market plagued with inefficiencies and labor shortages. The new service built on its main service online ordering platform, will further perfect user experiences with fast and digital processes.

Dotdot has made a splash since its establishment in 2019 under the leadership of CEO Ting Hsieh. Today, with over 15,000 users, 80 million unique users per month, and a staggering total of 50 million orders, Dotdot's services have facilitated online financial transactions worth 30 billion. The numbers illustrate an undeniable trend: the era of non-cash payments has arrived, with small-scale eateries increasingly keen to adopt digital solutions. Dotdot positions the product as “payment as a service”, aiming to boost online payments for all businesses.

"We have witnessed a changing era. In the last three years, the industry has lost nearly 3,000 employees while gaining 20,000 new establishments. Meanwhile, labor costs have skyrocketed, accounting for nearly 40% of expenses," said Ting Hsieh, CEO of Dotdot. "We are committed to easing the burden on these small-scale operations, providing a streamlined solution to save them valuable time, improve service, and reduce labor demands."

Dotdot positions the product as “payment as a service”, aiming to boost online payments for all businesses. /Photograph : 點點全球

Hsieh pointed out that the time-consuming tasks of taking phone orders and manual billing take up valuable resources for these establishments, thus taking away from their core service - providing delicious food. He believes non-cash payment is the future, and the Dot Dot Payment solution is designed to simplify this transition, offering a complete, one-stop payment service. It supports QR-based payment methods, and contactless transactions, and eliminates the hassle of dealing with multiple third-party payment providers.

"After payment completion, everything from electronic receipts to loyalty points and carrier services can be handled at one point. We have even integrated services that allow establishments to join the social app LINE members system to help them manage their businesses," Hsieh added.
The new product also promises to resolve one of the major pain points for small businesses – reconciling accounts. The DDPay solution enables businesses to reconcile their accounts via cloud services, offering a streamlined, unified platform for efficient business operations.

Bogi Huang, COO of Dotdot, added, "In the wake of the pandemic, even small-scale and single-person food businesses are gradually accepting digital payment methods. Online payments speed up the process compared to traditional order-taking and cash handling. Our Dot Dot Payment solution is poised to usher these establishments into the future of seamless, digital transactions."

The DDPay solution enables businesses to reconcile their accounts via cloud services, offering a streamlined, unified platform for efficient business operations. /Photograh : 點點全球

Dotdot Global's DDPay service operates through a self-developed interface known as DDUPI, which integrates various online payment channels. The system comprises three core technologies: DDPH for barcodes, DDQR for QR Code scanning, and DDTAP for credit card payments. These are connected through the pre-existing MAP (Member Aggregation Platform) interface, seamlessly integrating features to manage customer membership.

Joel Tay, CEO of Soft Space, which provides contactless credit card payment technology, shared his insights on Dotdot's innovative approach. "Dotdot is the first food tech service platform in Taiwan to provide SoftPOS payment application services," he said, "by utilizing the existing POS machines of businesses and adding contactless credit card payment methods, Dotdot has achieved two major advantages: quick deployment and reduced operational costs. This not only benefits the businesses but also offers consumers a seamless and secure contactless payment experience."

Dotdot's use of innovative tech, like Soft Space's contactless payment technology, represents a significant step forward in payment solutions. This strategic move towards providing a frictionless experience for both businesses and consumers further solidifies Dotdot's commitment to harnessing technology to transform the payment landscape.

Starting as an online ordering platform, Dotdot thrives out of an “accident”

The Dotdot team’s ability to spot a problem and turn it into an opportunity demonstrates the company's innovative spirit. /Photograh : 點點全球提供

The story of Dotdot begins with a simple lunch outing. Bogi Huang and his engineering team found themselves struggling with an overly complicated order machine at a local eatery. This moment sparked the question, "Is it really that hard? Why don't we just build one ourselves?" This idea birthed the prototype of Dotdot's global solution. Initially, it started as a side project – an ordering system that was introduced in May 2019.

However, in just six months, the number of businesses using their system soared to 4,500, generating a turnover of more than 300 million. The unexpected success inspired Huang to establish a company and focus on nurturing this promising venture.

Dotdot’s solution capitalizes on technology tools that Taiwanese people use most frequently: LINE. Customers only need to add the restaurant's official LINE account to place orders online. The platform offers an array of choices, allowing customers to choose between pick-up, take-out, or delivery. The system seamlessly integrates with popular online payment methods such as Line Pay, making the process extremely convenient for consumers.

The Dotdot team’s ability to spot a problem and turn it into an opportunity demonstrates the company's innovative spirit. The journey from an awkward encounter with a lunch ordering machine to the creation of a robust, user-friendly digital platform embodies Dotdot’s commitment to improving customer experience. This dedication, coupled with their knack for leveraging existing technologies, has been key in Dotdot's rapid expansion and success. As the company ventures into the payment solution market, it’s clear that its customer-centric, problem-solving ethos will continue to guide its growth.

〔Original :Meet Global〕
https://meet-global.bnext.com.tw/articles/view/47938