Anticipate customer requirements to serve them better: Careem

Dubai - Careem's Super App has proved to be a success, with data showcasing the transition of 96 per cent of users from the previous stand-alone ride hailing app to the Super App

Residents across the UAE seem to have a favourite comfort food – and that is McDonalds’ Chicken McNuggets.

When it comes to the most popular food combination, a burger with fries and a coke reigns supreme. Of course, the most popular customisation request is ‘add ketchup’. These are just some of the many findings of Careem’s recent ‘Customer and Business Trends of 2020’ report, which shed light on what residents across the UAE were up to during the months of lockdown and how they adapted to the unique challenges that were posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Careem, which successfully accelerated the launch of its Super App earlier in the year, currently has 48 million registered users and two million captains.

Careem reported a 9x increase in customers using multiple services via the Super App, with users in the UAE making an average of three transactions a week. Since April and the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic affecting business, Careem noted that the movement of people via cars, hala taxi, and bikes grew 10x. In addition, the movement of items such as food and delivery products increased by 4x; while the movement of money, such as recharge and sending credit, doubled in size.

Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder at Careem, described the year as challenging for businesses, but noted that it gave Careem an opportunity to expand its services to better meet the needs of its customers. “Whether it was through deliveries of daily essentials and food or helping people move around safely in the most restrictive of times, we’re grateful to have simplified the lives of our customers, thanks to our dedicated Captains at the frontline.”

Victor Kiriakos-Saad, GM of Careem, said that Careem is a tech company whose purpose is driven by data.

“Our mission statement for Data & AI is to accelerate delivering competitive value from data,” he said. “With the Careem Super App, what we have essentially accomplished is creating a cohesive platform that anticipates the customer’s requirements to serve them better. This came about as a result of our previous analysis of data that showcased the heightened use of various services that we provide.”

“During the peak of the pandemic, we realised the intensified need to engage actively with our users and be a platform that catered to their changed needs. The app proved to be a success with the data showcasing the transition of 96 per cent of users from the previous stand-alone ride hailing app to the Super App. Our mission is to simplify and improve the lives of people in the region - the concept of ‘the smart city’ in the UAE is very much in line with our thinking,” he explained.

Careem’s data showed a spike in the usage of the delivery service, with special instructions shared by 13 per cent of users. Captains delivered almost everything from a pyjamas set to a stop sign. When it came to Careem deliveries, Careem was able to ensure that 61 per cent arrived early. The most popular shop ordered from was Lulu Hypermarket, and the most popular item ordered was Al Marai Milk. The most popular combination of items ordered was mineral water and fruits and vegetables. When it came to weekend deliveries, the most ordered supplies consisted of dairy along with fruits and vegetables. In addition, Dubai took its crown as the most pet friendly emirate, recording the most deliveries from pet stores.

rohma@khaleejtimes.com