Entrepreneurs in Kenya have now mastered the art of online selling. Buyers have gained a significant level of trust in some online sellers. Kenyans are more willing than before to take risks and order products online. The greater challenge now is delivering products in good condition to customers at the right time.
Apps like Glovo meet this need. Sacha Michaud and Oscar Pierre co-founded the Glovo Company in 2015 in Barcelona. The Spanish start-up has managed to build a competitive brand and penetrate the international market.
The concept from the start was to provide on-demand courier services to customers for all types of products. However, food delivery has overtaken other types of delivery via the app. Glovo is available in 20 countries around the world including Kenya.
Features
Glovo launched its operations in Nairobi in the first quarter of 2019. Here are the top features that users enjoy on the app:
1. Speed
You can order anything from a supermarket, store, or restaurant and have it within minutes. Glovo emphasizes anything that customers order “within minutes.” When you order for a product, the nearest courier receives the order and considers the nearest seller. The courier will buy and deliver it within the shortest time possible.
The promise to deliver within minutes has proved true in some cities and for some clients in Nairobi. While the app owners do their best to keep this promise, sometimes a delay may occur when a product is unavailable.
Sometimes the courier has to try several stores and probably wait in line to serve some orders. However, for some products that are readily available or already packed, the couriers deliver within minutes.
2. Low cost
Buying products online makes sense to customers if the delivery cost is reasonable. Otherwise, they might as well walk or drive to a store and get the products at a reasonable price. Glovo understands this concept and offers affordable courier services.
The delivery charge within Nairobi is likely to range from Ksh.50 to 100. The charge may be higher depending on your location and order. Imagine escaping the long queues in supermarkets for a hundred shillings. Some items are delivered at no cost within Nairobi’s CBD.
The cost begins to make sense when you think of the time you spend getting a good seat in a restaurant, ordering for food and drinks, and then eating. Do you know how restaurants keep you waiting for a “special order?” Well, you can save time, order the same dish, and keep working while the food is delivered to your doorstep.
3. A wide range of services
Most people think of food delivery but the Glovo app in Kenya offers more than food. Well, food delivery is a big part of the business but you can order anything on the app. For instance, you can order any item from a registered supermarket like Naivas.
The app is not only an opportunity for buyers to get products delivered easily and at a reasonable rate. Glovo has opened opportunities for couriers to earn from the app. Stores have an opportunity to maximize sales without worrying about deliveries.
4. Easy Ordering Process
The process of ordering an item is simple. After downloading the app, you create an account and proceed to order. You can use your Facebook account to log in. The app requests you to select your location.
You will then proceed to the next interface which shows the categories of registered partners. The best restaurants in Nairobi’s CBD are listed on the app. Go through the menu of the items offered by each partner.
An alternative ordering process is clicking on “anything” and specifying the product you need. The app has restrictions on the size and weight of the items you can order. With this option, you need to specify if the courier will pay for the item or not.
5. Tracking Orders
You can track your purchased item in real time. In other words, you can tell the exact time when the courier will arrive at your location. Tracking is much easier than calling a delivery person every 5 minutes to find out when they will arrive.
As you track you can also tell if the courier got the directions right. You will not sit and wait for an item while the courier is moving in the opposite direction. If you have ever tried to track items with a phone call or text message, you will appreciate the tracking feature in the Glovo app in Kenya.
6. Favorite items
Let us say you like a certain dish from a specific restaurant. When you order it the first time, you can add it to your list of favorite items. The next time you log into the app to order, the app suggests your favorite items first. The list saves you minutes of scrolling through unwanted items and stores.
Also Read: Top 10 Mobile App Categories as Analysed by Android App Designers in Kenya
Customer Feedback
As app developers, we can look at the functionality of an app and recommend it based on its features. The truth is that the developers have done great with the simplicity of design and great user experience. However, we need to consider the actual experience of customers who have ordered products via the app.
Happy users
The app has a 3.7 rating on Google Playstore. The majority of about 130,000 users who left a review after using it gave a 5-star rating. The experience is different depending on the item that a customer ordered.
Users seem to have a great experience with the interface and ordering process. The partners registered on the app offer quality products, which is important when ordering for items online. Most customers got the items they ordered as described.
Unhappy users
The app is relatively new in the market. Although the developers say that you can order from any part of Nairobi, couriers do not deliver to some parts of the city. In addition, some customers complained that the estimated time of delivery was inaccurate.
Some customers had to wait for more than an hour to get their items. A few customers have also complained about bugs when trying to order any item. Based on the reviews, the customer support team is slow in responding to complaints from customers.
Conclusion
Glovo App in Kenya is a game-changer in the country’s online business and logistics. The app is easy to use in terms of ordering and tracking items. The delivery time may not always be accurate. However, based on customer reviews, the couriers are doing a great job of delivering products within the shortest time possible. App developers in Kenya take the challenge to keep up with such competitive apps from international developers.
