Enterprising connections save time for new Deliveroo-style trade
Two recently-launched apps that use on-demand services are saving people time and money and are changing the trades landscape
A new Deliveroo-style app has been launched that delivers parts to plumbers and tradespeople within 30 minutes.
Snap-It is the brainchild of plumber Viktor Muhhin, who was frustrated by the time wasted every week shopping for spare parts.
Launched last year, it has reached more than £1 million in turnover and secured a couple of handy team members en route, including Jewish entrepreneur Harry Tyndall, who was one of Deliveroo’s early employees, launching their business in the UK, Dubai and Australia.
Tyndall joined Deliveroo as the 30th person. After three years, he was one of some 2,000 and worked his way up to head of sales UK before leaving the food delivery company in 2017.
Tyndall, 33, Snap-It’s chief revenue officer, recalls: “I wasn’t part of the first group of people sitting round a table, but was there early enough that I sat on the floor working and having lunch.”
Fast forward a few years and convenience has become critical for consumers. “People are time poor, so if someone can save themselves time they will,” he says. “People’s expectations are more demanding than ever. The on-demand ideology has expanded like we could have never imagined, from next day delivery being amazing to four-hour delivery slots, to deliveries on demand in less than 30 minutes. And it’s not just products and perishable goods, it’s transport too, such as Uber or having a bike to use outside your front door.”
Snap-It delivers boilers and spare parts within 30 to 40 minutes. Tradespeople use the app to complete purchases, which run through the Snap-It system and are sent to the nearest participating retailer. Once the order has been accepted, a partnered courier will collect and deliver the order. “It’s win-win,” explains Tyndall. “The tradesperson saves time, money and stress shopping for parts and the customer gets their hot water back straight away! And the store enjoys a sale from us too.”
Currently London-based, Snap-It plans to roll-out to over 30 UK cities. It has around 40 retailers on board – including Gas World and Embassy Plumbing – a number it hopes to more than triple in the next year. It recently began a pilot with a major UK retailer.
“We want to have a real impact on the industry and there’s no reason why we can’t surpass 500+ partners in the next few years,” affirms Tyndall, who believes he wouldn’t be at Snap-It were it not for Deliveroo.
“I became a strict operator at Deliveroo, ensuring I documented my work religiously, always thinking of a plan B, making sure I had options and understood all potential outcomes. Commercially, it made me really aggressive, in a good way: making hundreds of calls and having 30 to 40 client meetings a week became my norm and I refuse to stop until the job is done.”
But, after three years, Tyndall – who lives in north London with his wife Samantha and their baby boy – found himself “stuck behind a desk and my ‘chutzpah’ was vanishing. I needed a new challenge to get my mojo back.”
He was introduced to Muhhin through one of Snap-It’s investors. The company has secured more than £1m in investment to date.
Tyndall acknowledges the on-demand landscape has changed significantly since his Deliveroo days, in part accelerated by Covid. “Pre-pandemic, we were all booking Ubers, using Amazon Prime and treating ourselves to Deliveroo, but Covid has forced us to stay in more and accept that we can run our lives from our living rooms.”
He adds: “There are so many courier companies, so more and more services and brands will offer on-demand services. Imagine not having to queue for an iPhone – would you pay £15 to get it ‘now’? The answer would be yes. Ten years ago, one would say ‘£15 for delivery, thanks but no thanks’. But today, anything that can save us hassle, time and money, we’ll be game for. The convenience concept works best when you have demand but most of all density, as it will reduce delivery times, delivery costs and increase efficiencies for couriers.”
The on-demand delivery market is growing at a staggering rate, penetrating multiple sectors. Grocery has seen the biggest growth. According to reports, the global online on-demand food delivery services market is set to grow by £31.82 billion during 2020-2024.
“Grocery deliveries are the new thing – take Dija.” Founded by two former Deliveroo executives, Alberto Menolascina and Yusuf Saban, Dija guarantees the delivery of groceries within 10 minutes. “I wish I had the initiative to do this myself when working with Booker and Nisa in the Roo days – it’s starting to make a real impact.”
And Tesco recently waded into the rapid grocery delivery war with the launch of Whoosh – a one-hour service the supermarket giant is trialling, initially in Wolverhampton.
Yet Tyndall is confident the trades market will be next to be disrupted. “It’s one of the few industries that still runs on pen and paper, with billions generated every year. It’s yet to be digitised and a bit archaic,
so changing habits won’t be easy, but we are the first to take a big step in the right direction.”
New app links consumers with tradespeople
A revolutionary new app that connects the public to nearby, top-rated tradespeople in under a minute is being rolled out across the UK.
Spetz, founded by Israeli-entrepreneur Yossi Nevo, is a “one-stop shop” for those who are in need of an urgent tradesperson, such as a locksmith,
electrician, builder or plumber.
Already operational in Israel and Australia, Spetz recently began a full UK offensive after a successful ‘soft launch’ and will launch an initial public offering, or IPO, to help fund expansion.
Nevo says: “Urgent needs come in all forms and it’s unlikely that any household has tried and trusted tradespeople to match every possibility – but we do.
“The Spetz app rapidly connects them with a suitable ‘rescue service’ in as little as 30 seconds and that rapid reassurance is completely free – it’s
the tradespeople who pay for these job leads.”
A serial entrepreneur, Nevo has set up several businesses harnessing old and new technology, but believes Spetz will be his biggest success yet. “The app was based on my 20 years’ experience in dealing with tradespeople and then harnessing that with the latest technology,” says Nevo.
“It is highly advanced, continually learning and can be easily scaled as we expand into the UK market.”
Apart from obvious ‘Mr Fixits’, Spetz tradespeople cover more than 400 different services. “All that anyone might need for normal day-to-day eventualities,” explains Nevo.
“Using machine learning and artificial intelligence Spetz identifies the user’s location, matches them with the top-rated available service provider in their area, puts them in touch immediately and supplies each with the other’s details.”
Company vice-president Ofir Friedman says: “Previously, anyone hunting an urgent service typically faced too much and sometimes challenging information, but Spetz cuts through all that to get help on its way fast.
“There is no online form filling, no directory scrolling or navigating quotes. We simply match the customer with the best tradesperson by availability, service and location.”
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