In ever-so-busy Dubai, it’s often difficult to find the time (or energy) to do your grocery shopping. We’re limited to incremental stocking up during the week and one big shopping spree every now and then. But the new team behind the El Grocer app are aiming to make grocery shopping easier and more convenient for you by bringing the supermarket to your fingertips.
The startup was founded by a group of friends who have a lot of expertise and passion for retail, FMCG and technology. It is led by Mickael Costache (previous experience in consumer startups – before el Grocer, he was the director of Lime&Tonic in the UAE, the marketplace for unique experiences) and Raed Hafez, Managing Partner of Nuummite Venture, who previously led Motorola Mobility business in the Middle East and Africa region.
Online grocery shopping isn’t a new concept in developed markets, but it is practically non-existent in Dubai. In a city where technology and services are expanding at an exponential rate, something as basic as grocery shopping has fell between the cracks, until now.
“El Grocer” brings in some select groceries in your area (you can check if your area is serviced here) where you can browse for products and even brands. This, to me, was the biggest advantage over making a phone call; you can choose the specific brands you want instead of hoping for the guy taking down your order over the phone to have understood it correctly. In my search, I started with “cheese” which brought up various types and brands, and I typed “Edam mild” and the app returned the item I wanted (the grocery had the brand in stock).
The app is simple and straightforward to use. Based on your location, it suggests available grocery stores that have been signed up for use with this app. Once you select the grocery store, you can start browsing the categories or just type in what you want in the search. I found that searching is the quickest way to go about adding items instead of browsing individual categories, but, as it is in real life, going through the categories will exposed you to other brands or products that you might want to try.
Once you add all your items to the cart, you can proceed to the checkout and select your payment options. At the moment, only cash on delivery is enabled, which I believe will be the most convenient for most. The order can then be tracked, and delivery times are promised to be less than 60 minutes. True to their word, my order has arrived within 30 minutes.
If you find yourself ordering the same list or items frequently, you can choose to re-order a past order in its entirety, or you can add items to your favourites for quick access later on. You simply access the favourites list and tap the cart icon to stock it up, and then have a quick check out.
I admit I was skeptical at the beginning, and doing the initial order did take time until I figured out the whole process, which is straight-forward but made me wonder if a phone call was quicker. However, once you find your products and add them to the favourites list, shopping becomes a significantly quicker process.
Download from App Store
