Burger King and eBay tie up for pre-launch orders

NEW DELHI: Unable to resist the temptation of India's sizzling online growth story, US fast-food giant Burger King has hopped onto the e-commerce bandwagon. The second-largest burger chain in the world (McDonald's is the largest) has partnered eBay India to launch its burgers online even before it has opened the doors of its first store in the country.

Consumers will be able to pre-order Burger King's signature burger Whopper, one of the world's most popular five-inch diameter burgers, for a limited time period, which will coincide with the company's store launch. "We thought it's our best bet to reach as many people as possible during our pre-opening days. On our Facebook page, we saw a lot of Indian consumers posting pictures of the Whopper. So, we thought why not offer it online first," said Uma Talreja, chief marketing officer, Burger King India.

Burger King's first store is slated to open in the national capital on November 9 followed by subsequent launches in Mumbai and 10 other locations. After pre-ordering the Whopper online for Rs 128, select consumers will be able to redeem their coupons at Burger King outlets. The marketing move by the American fast-food chain is the latest among companies offering exclusive pre-ordering online.

Earlier, it was just cell phone makers including Samsung, Motorola and Xiaomi, among others, which tasted immense success. But now, food and beverage brands are also not shying away from taking the online route to stoke pre-launch interest among consumers. In September, Coca-Cola launched its new diet drink Coke Zero online in partnership with Amazon India.

Latif Nathani, MD with eBay India, said that India's e-commerce space would see more such partnerships. "Indians are shifting to e-commerce seriously and even food and beverage companies see this as a major opportunity to reach as many people as possible in the least time. We expect more such deals in the near future," he said.