By Staff Writer
- What is Glovo?
Glovo is a pioneering multi-category delivery app and one of the world’s fastest growing delivery platforms. Founded in Barcelona in 2015, it operates in 20 countries across Europe and Africa. The app connects users with restaurants, grocery chains, pharmacies, retail stores, and also includes an “anything” category that allows users to order whatever they want in their city.
- When did Glovo launch in Uganda and what is the progress so far?
We launched in Uganda in October 2020. Since then, we have partnered with top brands and franchises like Carrefour for groceries, top food restaurants such as KFC, Mr. Tasty Fried Chicken, and most recently The Food Hub and Meza Shawarma. We are expanding into other towns and partnering with more local businesses and niche outlets to increase our portfolio. We have very competitive delivery fees starting from only 1,500 Uganda shillings for Food and 1,800 for Groceries.
- Why Kampala first?
After doing our research, we felt Kampala had the biggest internet penetration, coupled with a large concentration of consumers, restaurants, grocery partners, and other service providers. Challenges of rapid urbanization such as traffic congestion in capital cities indicated we could offer a solution to address these challenges. Kampala has done an amazing job at fostering this ecosystem for tech firms wanting to enter Uganda.
- What is the big vision for Glovo?
Our vision is to give everyone easy access to anything in their city, by providing a “super app” that makes everything in a city available on-demand and delivered within minutes. We want to bring convenience to people’s lives and hopefully help them to reclaim time.
- To what extent has the penetration of internet and mobile technology in Uganda aided your work?
Mobile penetration is critical, and Uganda’s high mobile penetration which has been growing over the past few years works in our favour. Through mobile technology, what has existed offline is now accessible online. Uganda is very popular with Boda Boda operators, and citizens probably have a mobile number of a rider who can run an errand for them but this still takes time and real time tracking of their movement is hard. Technology simplifies and professionalizes this transaction.
- What is the most popular demographic of Glovo users?
We consider ourselves an app for everyone over the age of 18. It is anyone looking for convenience, craving their favorite meal or wishing to indulge in a treat after a long day’s work. It tends to be people who are busy or who prefer to spend their free time with family or doing something that makes them happy. A lot of people know us first as a food delivery company but we have seen an increased uptake of our multicategory offering.