Contxto – Uruguayan-founded, German-owned PedidosYa is upping its ante in the Dominican Republic. The startup recently announced the launch of its dark grocery store in the Caribbean country.
The startup had enabled this service in Montevideo in May of this year and it aims to open seven more locations before year’s end.
Well, well, somebody’s feeling ambitious. But hey, evidently Covid-19 presents a window of opportunity for e-commerce platforms to shine, hook users, and keep them beyond the new normal.
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PedidosYa in the Dominican Republic
According to PedidosYa, it’s the first to open an e-grocer of this sort in the Dominican Republic and reports that its timing couldn’t be any better.
The Dominican Republic is a growing market with a lot of potential. Launching within these unusual circumstances allows us to provide basic supermarket goods in an efficient way while also complying with authorities’ safety standards.
Deliveries will reportedly be completed within 30 minutes. Moreover, as part of its launching strategy, for the first couple of weeks, users shan’t be charged a delivery fee. Convenience and speed to keep ‘em coming back.
E-grocery companies on the move
Startups in the e-grocery business have one thing on their mind right now: scale, scale, and when that’s done, scale some more.
Last July, Jüsto closed a bridge round for US$12 million to expand within its native Mexico.
Salvadoran Hugo had launched its own dark store service that same month. And—much like PedidosYa’s own aggressive scaleup plans—Hugo hopes to cover three more Central American countries before 2020 is over.
The bottom line is everyone is scrambling to be the first to market with the dark store and home-delivery service combo. Covid-19 has fueled demand so startups are eager to oblige and attain control first in their home turf and then jumping abroad.
Related articles: Tech and startups from Uruguay!
-ML
