Careem’s delivery service sees sizeable growth in H1

Dubai - Most Careem Delivery customers use it to send items, but the percentage of ‘buy’ orders has been increasing month-on-month from February 2021

Biryani, laptops, and a face mask, at first glance none of these items have anything in common, however Careem Captains will tell you that they are some of the most requested items that residents across Dubai have asked for since the beginning of this year.

In its latest report, Careem highlighted some of the key trends that they company observed in its buy and send ‘Careem Delivery’ service. Careem Delivery has seen constant month-on-month growth since the beginning of 2021, with 30 per cent growth year-to-date. In addition, the findings showed that 33.7 per cent of active Careem customers were using the delivery feature on the app, with most of them sending items within the emirate of Dubai.

Currently, the delivery service is being used primarily to send items, with 78.9 per cent of Careem Delivery customers either sending or collecting items from across Dubai. However, since February, the number of ‘buy’ orders has also increased steadily month-on-month, with a total of 21.1 per cent of delivery customers asking Careem Captains to purchase items on their behalf.

Speaking to Khaleej Times in an exclusive interview to discuss the results of the report, Bassel Al Nahlaoui, managing director of Mobility at Careem, said that he was surprised about the growth of the delivery business, and “how organic it’s been.”

“We really haven't done much to promote delivery or build awareness, and the strong growth is really a testament to product market fit and how useful customers are finding the services,” he said. “We believe that once a customer experiences how convenient this type of service can be, they’re likely to use it again and tell their friends about it.”

rohma@khaleejtimes.com