Driven By Demand: Dubai-Based Logistics Tech Startup One Click Delivery Services Sees Surge In Growth Amid The COVID-19 Crisis "Our goal was never to simply create a software, sell to our clients, and stopping there. It was creating an entire last-mile delivery ecosystem."
By Kasun Illankoon •
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The spread of the coronavirus and sweeping policy measures taken by various governments have led many industries into unchartered territories. We've seen tourism, airlines, electronics, and many other industries hit by the COVID-19 crisis, but there's been an unprecedented growth spike in the online food and delivery industry. As consumers globally have been either mandated to stay home or have chosen to do so, they have resorted to ordering food, groceries, shopping, and other essential needs online.
Due to the surge of online shopping, many delivery services and solutions companies are thriving during this pandemic. KPMG Lower Gulf's latest report, Navigating The Pandemic, has revealed that among the strong performing sectors, online retail, particularly of groceries, has witnessed significant growth. Grocery retailers witnessed a 20% to 40% increase in sales during the first half of March, compared to the same period last year. Online marketplaces also saw surging demand, particularly for laptops/tablets, and gym equipment.
One Click Delivery Services, one of the fastest growing regional technology companies specializing in last mile, is currently experiencing a sharp spike in demand for fleet and fleet software management, in order to respond to their clients' high demand of food and groceries orders. "With restaurants and retail stores changing their business model to deliveries, we are facing a surge in delivery demand, which has led us to increase our fleet capacity by 14% in under one month," says Hassan Hallas, co-founder and CEO of One Click Delivery Services. "The verticals operating more than others are the delivering necessities, such as grocery stores and pharmacies. Restaurants are also operating well, as customers still want to enjoy their favorite meals, even when the dine-in option isn't available (with the exception of a few restaurants)."
With health and safety being a concern to all customers, all delivery services have introduced measures to deliver goods safely. In the case of One Click, Hallas explained how his enterprise has taken extra measures to ensure that their last mile delivery goes smoothly. "We have a great responsibility of protecting all customers and riders, so we have implemented strict hygiene protocols that all riders must abide by," he notes. "It starts at the warehouse, where all the disinfection begins. This, of course, is additional time and work from our side– but this is the way things must be done. Riders then must have their vehicles deep cleaned, and also continuously sanitize their hands and change their masks and gloves multiple times. We are working as hard as we can to be as hygienic, fast, and efficient as possible to keep our and everyone else's business going."
Related: Logistics Tech Startup One Click Delivery Raises Seed Funding From MEVP
A member of One Click's fleet.
One Click Delivery Services aims to develop solutions that cover the entire last mile delivery phase, with its end goal being to become a one-stop shop for all last-mile delivery phases, ultimately changing the last-mile delivery landscape through digitization. "To keep our clients satisfied, we are keeping their customers happy by executing deliveries rapidly and safely," Hallas says. "Our strong technology is enabling them to manage fleets easily and efficiently, especially in such times of high delivery. Every one of our solutions facilitates a specific element of the last-mile delivery, from fleet management and data collection, to client acquisition and more. We aim at becoming a one-stop shop for all last-mile delivery phases, ultimately changing the last-mile delivery landscape through the digitization of every angle."
One Click's efforts in this arena can be perhaps best seen in its software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution, nGage, a game changer for the logistics industry, which makes the company especially stand out from the rest of the competition in this market. "nGage last-mile delivery is a SaaS that our clients are provided with to manage their fleet and track package deliveries in real time, optimize routes, get all the necessary information about fleet activity, and much more," says Zeid Abu Ennab, Senior Director – Brandware and SaaS, One Click. "It gathers all last-mile delivery elements information into one comprehensive and user-friendly software. Clients no longer need to take orders and assign drivers for deliveries manually. Orders come through the software and riders/drivers are immediately assigned to pick them up, and are given the best route to take with the help of the GPS."
Apart from nGage, One Click is also planning to introduce a new ground-breaking technology called Brandware, which can dynamically and digitally updates the look and feel of your fleet and delivery specialists. The patented technology includes uniforms with digital panels, as well as delivery boxes and backpacks with digital panels. "Our goal was never to simply create a software, sell to our clients, and stopping there," Hallas explains. "It was creating an entire last-mile delivery ecosystem. Our software provides us with particular data, which is later utilized for the creation of another solution, useful at a later stage– in a domino-like effect."
With the COVID-19 pandemic changing how every industry operates, One Click's flexibility allows them to adapt and evolve to provide the right solutions for their clients. "Our flexibility is our "secondary USP.' The blend between our technology, and the brains behind the technology. We are proud of our management's agile approach to challenges. Our team does not turn away any client, no matter what the size of their business is. We custom make solutions for all clients, create new services, and find ways to solve their challenges," Hallas concludes.
This article was originally published on Construction Business News Middle East and has been reposted on Entrepreneur Middle East based on a mutual agreement between the websites.
