Published on the 26/06/2015 | Written by Donovan Jackson
As a species, humans have never had a problem paying for convenience…
Aucklanders may have noticed odd-shaped bicycles plying their trade through the inner city traffic of late. That’s because the cyclists propelling the baby-blue machines around the city have heralded the launch of UrbanSherpa, a service which lets you pay someone else to do the fetching and carrying.
Like the taxi service Uber, UrbanSherpa relies on the power of information exchange enabled by the mobile ecosystem. It takes advantage of smartphone cameras, GPS locators and video calling. It also takes advantage of good old pedal power to provide access to a personal dogsbody who can do your bidding (within reason, of course) remotely.
Contacted by iStart, UrbanSherpa founder Brian Dewil said things are busy for the company which has been in operation for just a week. “We’re getting the beta of our app all ironed out, but the main thing is that people are using the service, reviewing it and engaging with it. Now, there’s an education process which needs to run so people can start to think of using an UrbanSherpa as an on-demand service when they need something done.”
He agreed that Kiwis have a culture of doing things themselves – probably owing to the high cost of having someone else do it – but said an UrbanSherpa does a delivery for just $19. The first ‘sherp’ is free, and he said just like the first Uber ride, instantly demonstrates the value of the service.
Dewil was surprised when iStart said it had downloaded the UrbanSherpa app from the Google Play store. “No, that’s an old version – please don’t use it, rather use the website instead,” is his advice.
The iOS app is in test with Apple at present, he said.
While targeting end users, the service is also finding a channel to market by partnering with retailers who can use the bike-powered Sherpas to enhance their own value offering. “We’ve got Dunkin Donuts on board and we’re meeting with a number of other retailers,” said Dewit. “For Dunkin Donuts, an on-demand service is a big advantage; they used to have to schedule a courier a day in advance to make deliveries.”
In this past week, around 35 trips have been handled by two full time UrbanSherpas and their four additional contractors.
The bicycles themselves are interesting; imported from Denmark, they are manufactured by a company called ‘Harry vs Larry’; the cargo bikes are capable of carrying 100kg and cost, said Dewil, around $7000 apiece.
UrbanSherpa will retain client credit card details on request to do your shopping, or the Sherpas will make purchases using their own credit cards on behalf of clients, and charge upon delivery, he added.
In a prepared statement, Dewil said the service targets a market gap for local pickups where a more customised decision or payment needs to be made at the point of purchase or where a retailer requires a shopper to be present. The bicycle courier can perform a range of tasks revolving around making a purchase and delivering it, within an hour.
When the apps are available, the company said customers will be able to track their Sherpa in real time, while also interacting with the cyclist to make buying decisions.
The service is modelled on similar ones operating in the US and UK. Initially available within a 3.5km radius of the Auckland CBD, there are plans to expand the offering in the city and into other NZ metro centres.
