AMSTERDAM (Netherlands), July 16, 2020 – Foodl, the first true open marketplace for chefs, hospitality entrepreneurs and suppliers, has built its digital platform based on commercetools’ headless commerce solution.
Foodl launched its website earlier this year and had planned on a phased roll-out in large Dutch cities, first focusing on Amsterdam. Due to the hospitality industry closing down, this plan had to be reconsidered and moved to a later date. The platform has already connected a large number of suppliers and buyers in the Amsterdam region and restarted its national roll-out when the hospitality industry was allowed to open its doors again. As of July 2020, the marketplace offers more than 3,000 products across approximately 300 brands. Foodl has used the past couple of months to continue development of the platform – specifically the back-end – so connecting new buyers and suppliers has now become even easier. According to founders Annemarie Blaauw and Gaby Westdorp, the new platform answers the clear market need for an innovative marketplace in B2B for food.
Foodl is fully open, meaning buyers have direct access to the shop and are able to see all products. There is no need to register via a multitude of screens. We focus on transparency.
Founder, Foodl
Foodl is also future-proof, which means suppliers and buyers will soon be able to access the platform via every channel to do business. In addition to commercetools’ platform, Foodl’s technical foundation consists of a so-called progressive web app, which allows users to order products via any device. It is very simple and user-friendly. These types of apps are suitable for any operating system. That is why Foodl looks like a website on a desktop or laptop, and why it looks like an app on a smartphone or tablet. The use on Foodl web app was made by Vue Storefront, a supplier that specializes in open-source progressive web apps for e-commerce.
First of all, commercetools is future-proof. As a headless platform, it offers the flexibility and speed we, as Foodl, were looking for. Thanks to headless it is possible to support every channel, without needing to set up separate development processes for every channel. Moreover, commercetools lets you start small and scale up as needed. Exactly what we wanted. And commercetools is very user-friendly. Thanks to the flexible API architecture, we can offer large parties the opportunity to connect with Foodl the way they want. Smaller parties can also work directly on the platform.
Product Owner of the platform, Foodl
According to founder Annemarie Blaauw, Foodl goes beyond traditional e-commerce. “We offer ubiquitous commerce. We focus on the interaction between all parties on the platform, from product suppliers to buyers and many partners with different expertise. This way, we create real value and innovation.”
About Foodl
Foodl is the open marketplace for chefs, entrepreneurs, foodies and hospitality suppliers. It is the first platform in the Netherlands that facilitates open and direct trade for hospitality entrepreneurs, food & beverage suppliers and related products and services.