New post-pandemic business models: the case of Gorillas

We have to put into perspective everything that the coronavirus is bringing to eCommerce and retail: the changes it has generated, new shopping habits, motivations, needs and brakes that are now different...

If we look back, it is easy to see how, in just one year, different types of companies have emerged around us, and that some segments or niches have been transformed.

On this occasion, we review one of those initiatives that have been able to adapt to a different business model and a new market: we are talking about Gorillas.

If you ask me what exactly this company is and why it is so disruptive... I will have to answer you in parts.

The basic model is nothing revolutionary, as it consists of an express courier service in the style of what could be Glovo or Deliveroo. Through the web or the app, they offer the possibility of contracting a service at any time and a messenger takes care of it.

What has Gorillas reinvented then? Well, basically it has dynamited delivery times.

eCommerce has long emphasized same day delivery. Delivery services for restaurants have also accelerated delivery time as much as possible, and online supermarkets have found the challenge of logistics and delivery to be one of the most important.

With people buying more online and wanting faster deliveries, Gorillas appears to be aiming to make the purchase faster than you: specifically in 10 minutes. Yes, you read that right.

In fact, unlike other competitors like those mentioned, Gorillas is much more focused (almost exclusively) on servicing convenience stores and offering those products we may need at any time.

In an interview with the German media - this application works only in Germany at the moment - Kagan Sümer spoke as the company's CEO about his vision.

Gorillas does not expect to be an alternative to the eCommerce of the supermarkets.  In fact, he is even quite critical of this business model. He goes so far as to say that supermarkets organize the shopping experience according to their business needs and put them before those of the customer.

Knowing this fact, we understand better the raison dètre of the project. Their intention is to make the purchase easier, more focused (only what we need, without going around the shelves), at the precise moment when that need arises and very quickly.

All Gorillas staff, from office people to messengers, are hired by the company. The speed already mentioned, the fresh products bought in local stores and very competitive prices (they charge less than 2 € per delivery) make up a revolutionary business model.

But is it profitable? It seems to be. Bear in mind that in the first round of financing they raised no less than 36 million euros to start talking. Some of the most important investors in Europe have jumped on board.

Because, like most of this type of business, it is linked to a mobile app. It must be recognized that the phone's native features, such as the ability to call at any time and, above all, geolocation, go hand in hand with this type of solution.

The app itself has nothing special; in fact we could say it is a bit basic. We enter our address -or we allow it to geolocate us and automatically- and it tells us the estimated delivery time.

Then, a gridded window opens with the different categories (fruits and vegetables, organic products, beverages, cleaning, babies, pets...). The section on local producers stands out, helping to reinforce this idea of proximity trade.

Then you add the products to the cart, make the payment and in about 10 minutes you have the purchase at home. That is it, no more complication.