Started in summer 2020 and already popular in London, Manchester, Amsterdam and Paris, Zapp acts as both retailer and rapid delivery service by operating its own stores supported by an all electric fleet and employed delivery riders.
Unlike a number of competitors, Zapp isn’t targeting planned grocery shopping, but is more akin to a convenience store offering. This sees the startup cater for the ‘need it now’ occasions, such as entertaining last-minute, a spontaneous movie night in with the kids, or avoiding a mid-cooking disaster.
“Zapp is for when life can’t wait,” says Steve O’Hear, Zapp’s Vice President of Strategy. “Our sweet spot is spontaneity and urgent-need”.
To start Zapping, customers simply download the Zapp app on iOS and Android and enter their location. They can then browse close to two thousand curated products, including global brands such as Coca Cola, Red Bull and Haribo.
Once an order is placed, products are picked, packed and delivered within 20 minutes - with Zapp riders going the extra mile to ensure every order is a “wow” experience. There is a flat delivery fee of £1.99 per order and no minimum order. For orders over £30, the delivery fee is waived entirely.
What’s more, new customers can get £10 off their first order (min spend £20) by using code ZAPPTEN.
"After delivering for tens of thousands of happy customers in London and Manchester we’re excited to continue to bring Zapp to other cities in the UK, such as Cambridge,” adds O’Hear.
The fast-growing start-up is recruiting in the region, including in its retail and delivery teams.
In addition, Zapp has been designed with sustainability in mind from the get-go. As a startup that is doing something new, O’Hear notes that “there’s also an opportunity to build something better”. Zapp employs an all-electric fleet, using a mixture of e-bikes and e-mopeds. Products are delivered in recyclable paper bags, and the company has partnered with Planetly to track and reduce its carbon footprint. Additionally, Zapp invests in a number of carbon offsetting projects for emissions that cannot yet be avoided.
Zapp has raised $100m in funding and is backed by leading investors Lightspeed, Atomico, 468 Capital, and Burda, alongside notable angels such as Mato Peric, Christopher North (former Amazon UK CEO) and Stefan Smalla (Westwing CEO).
Zapp’s founders are Joe Falter, who was part of the founding team at Jumia, where he led the on-demand services business through to the group’s IPO, and Navid Hadzaad, who most recently was a product leader at Amazon’s Seattle HQ after founding GoButler and scaling several ventures at Rocket Internet. The leadership team also spans former employees of Deliveroo, Just Eat, Domino’s and Tesco.