Fetch - Opening Up the Country After a Pandemic

Fetch - Opening Up the Country After a Pandemic

With the restrictions having to change quite dynamically, it continues to be tricky for the economy to get back on its feet.

For some businesses, those restrictions have meant being closed, re-opening and engaging improved safety measures for customers and staff. For other businesses it has meant a complete change in business model, where they've had to move partially or completely online, and indeed move to delivery models instead of traditional models.

So, in order to help make the transition as smooth as possible, a number of entrepreneurs have come up with some innovative new products and services.

Read Client Focus Issue 7

Fetch have developed an application which allows businesses to outsource deliveries using an on-demand service to carry out all pick-up and drop-off requirements.

Client Focus - Just Fetch It

Founded by James Redmond, Darren Boylan, and Gerard Sweeney in 2018, the company, which provides an ‘Uber service for deliveries', is supported by Local Enterprise Office South Dublin and has also benefited from a Business Priming Grant and a Trading Online Voucher.

Boylan says the growing demand for a 24/7 delivery service is the reason behind their current success.

“Since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, the need for deliveries has increased so Fetch has been able to meet that surge in demand and the response has been very positive,” he says. “The number of deliveries carried out per week has increased by 230% and this has allowed us to acquire contracts which are projected to last long into the future.”

The co-founder says this is due to a combination of good fortune, hard work and making sure the necessary adaptions for social distancing were put in place from the start.

“We have provided training courses for all our drivers and some of the measures we implemented included non-contact delivery and having the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while carrying out deliveries to minimise the risk of spreading the virus,” he says.

“This instilled confidence into our business partners as they knew we were doing everything to ensure optimum health and safety measures were in place.

“Also, we were very lucky to be operating in a sector which is viewed as an essential service, so our business has had huge growth during the crisis. The measures we put in place were not only important from a public health perspective, but also from a business perspective.

“So now, Fetch is launching innovative and safe solutions for major retailers with Store-to-Door same-day delivery and collection solutions, which can be rolled out and active in a number of days.”

In addition, Fetch will be entering the global delivery software market with their advanced last-mile delivery product.

Boylan says help from his Local Enterprise Office has made this possible. “We received several supports from our Local Enterprise Office, including a substantial Business Priming Grant and a Trading Online Voucher, which was really beneficial to us,” he says.

“But while there is no one-sizes-fits-all solution, I think business owners need to adapt at the point where they meet their consumers. In terms of a physical premises, consumers will want to feel safe and confident, so high standards of PPE along with fixed barriers and procedures should be put in place, in such a way which still allows for an enjoyable experience.”

“Also, businesses which don’t sell online or offer delivery & collection services will be leaving themselves at risk, as there has been a huge shift towards online services and there is no guarantee that these consumers will return to physical purchasing anytime soon.”

www.justfetchit.ie

Read Client Focus Issue 7