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No address, no problem
Fetcher is eyeing an expansion into every emerging market where there is a need to tackle the 'no address' problem

Dubai - UAE delivery app will find you across GCC this year

By Muzaffar Rizvi

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Published: Mon 24 Oct 2016, 8:18 PM

Last updated: Tue 25 Oct 2016, 12:22 PM

This is just what UAE residents ordered. In a region where addresses are hard to come by and "near [insert landmark here]" has been the traditional location finder, Dubai-based start-up Fetchr has taken the speed bumps off the delivery road with its GPS-tracking app.
The app allows the customer to use her/his cellphone number as an address, and the delivers packages to the desired location. So, no more calling-waiting-calling-again cycle to know when (if) your package will arrive.
The app simply bypasses the need for a physical address by using the customers' smartphone's global positioning system (GPS) as a delivery location.
And now, after successfully mapping the UAE market, the startup is eyeing an expansion into every emerging market where there is a need to tackle the 'no address' problem after gaining huge popularity in the UAE and the Gulf.
The startup, formed by French-Iraqi Idriss Al Rifai and American-Palestinian Joy Ajlouny in June 2015, currently operates in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt and plans to cover other GCC states by the end of 2016.
"We are quickly growing our presence in these countries while also thinking ahead about expansion. By the end of the year, we plan to expand our reach across the GCC. In 2017, we want to move beyond the GCC and tap other emerging markets," Al Rifai, founder and chief executive of Fetchr, told Khaleej Times.
Al Rifai said the startup is moving in the right direction as it addresses a problem plaguing the Middle East for ages - the lack of a proper street address system that makes delivery a nightmare in the region.
"In the next few months, we will focus heavily on expansion in new countries as well as grow our new service - Fetchr Now. Our goal is to get customers to adopt the 'Now' service as a lifestyle product. We will focus our efforts on tapping an increasing number of customers in the UAE who will be early adopters of this service."
Launched in August 2016, Fetchr Now is an on-demand app delivery service that offers UAE customers the option of getting anything picked up and delivered anywhere right away.
The Fetchr Now promise is this: Someone will show up at your door in 30 minutes (or less) to pick up and deliver your package. No stops on the way to delivery. "As the on-demand economy is now catching up quickly in the UAE, we want to stay in the forefront and provide our customers with a product that meets their lifestyle needs."
Al Rifai said expanding the business in the UAE and beyond in the region has been challenging, but rewarding nonetheless. Often times, there are several hurdles to overcome - ranging from government regulations to trade licences to issuing visas, etc., that can make entering new markets a much slower process. "Since the time we first started, I think the start-up eco-system has flourished in the region. It is great to see entrepreneurs supporting each other and an increasing number of resources dedicated for the success of startups," he said.
The Fetchr founder pointed out that investors and partners are generally more comfortable with business models they understand or that have been proven in a Western context. For example, start-ups that do food delivery or e-commerce or on-demand cab-hailing - anything that they have seen before in Europe or North America. "Fetchr is a totally new concept, not a copycat business model, so it has been a bit more difficult for us to convince people to get on board. This has been one challenge, but we've been able to overcome it. We encourage regional start-ups to try new concepts," he said.
He believes tech start-ups in the Mena region have huge growth potential as the market is growing quickly and the population is becoming tech-savvy and demanding products and services that will meet their needs on the go.
"Customers all over Mena, close to 80 per cent now, have smartphones and are demanding products and apps that will meet their needs. There is a huge potential in the market to innovate for tech companies and now would be the ideal time to do this," he said.
About Fetchr's plans to raise money, he said his startup raised $11 million in Series A funding led by a top tier Silicon Valley VC, New Enterprise Associates. "Since then, we have also raised money from a couple of regional investors and we are planning to raise a Series B in the next few months. Our valuation is confidential information," Al Rifai concluded.
"I have ambitious plans for our company and I picture us growing faster and quicker in the next five years. I want to continue to innovate and stay ahead of the curve and at the same time ensure Fetchr reaches every emerging market where there is a need to tackle the "no address" problem," Al Rifai concluded.
- muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com
 


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