Fetchr announces app for ‘no fixed address’ deliveries
Dubai-based Fetchr has announced the launch of an app which enables deliveries to be made to recipients who do not have a fixed street address. The company also announced the close of $11 million in Series A funding, led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA).
In a statement issued yesterday (9 June), Fetchr said that its app “takes all the hassle and inconvenience out of package delivery in a region of the world where there are no addresses”.
The app uses proprietary technology to schedule package pick-up and delivery using the customer’s mobile phone GPS coordinates as their address.
“Customers that need to send a package simply snap a photo of the item they need to send, select a pickup time, and receive an alert when their driver is approaching. They will then receive an alert once the delivery has been received,” said Fetchr. “On the recipient side, customers are notified that they have a delivery, choose their delivery time, and the package is brought right to their phone location.”
Fetchr said that its new investment has enable the company to launch the mobile application in the Appstore and Google Play, as well as fuel product development.
“Consumers use their phones to shop for just about everything,” says Fetchr’s co-founder, Idriss Al Rifai. “With our app, you can now use your phone to ship anything, anywhere. We aim to change the behaviour in which people send and receive packages. We are thrilled that NEA shares our vision for overcoming the major logistical challenges that exist for deliveries in emerging markets, as well as ushering in a new era for shipping and ecommerce. This investment is a big step forward for the Arab startup community.”
The challenge of making deliveries to customers with no fixed street addresses is particularly important in the Middle East & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, India, Indonesia and other emerging markets.
“Last mile delivery is one of the greatest reason why e-commerce has not reached its full potential in the Middle East our mission is to empower delivery through technology, we want shipping to be as delightful as shopping!” said Fetchr’s co-founder Joy Ajlouny.
Fetchr overcomes these logistical hurdles by delivering packages using the mobile phone as the point of contact address, similar to the way Uber sends a car to the customer’s exact location. No more headaches, annoying phones calls, scheduling, or missed deliveries.
Fetchr was founded by CEO, Idriss Alrifai, who previously worked for MarkaVIP and the Boston Consulting Group, one of the leading consulting firms in the Middle East. Co-founder Joy Ajlouny is a serial entrepreneur whose first startup in Silicon Valley, BONFAIRE, was acquired by Moda Operandi.
