By Rafiq Vayani
DUBAI: Careem, the leading internet platform for a rapidly growing region extending from Morocco to Pakistan is now the region’s first everyday Super App. As a Super App, Careem will provide multiple services alongside its core business of ride hailing. From the end of June 2020, an expanded range of services will be available to all of Careem’s 33 million registered users and 1.7 million Captains across 13 countries and over 100 cities. Careem began expanding its core business initially with food and delivery in 2019 and is now offering services across three areas: Mobility of People, Mobility of Things and Mobility of Money.
“The move from offline to online commerce is a secular and significant opportunity, one that has accelerated as a result of the global pandemic. Careem’s Super App supports this acceleration by bringing together people’s essential, everyday services in one place, with a single sign-on and integrated payment system. We are tailoring products and services to local needs so that people with busy lives can get right to the services that are important to them when they need them.” said Mudassir Sheikha, Co-Founder and CEO of Careem.
Careem’s Super App reduces the time a person will spend looking for the right app, whilst making it simple and easier for customers to use multiple services. According to research from Apptopia, ride hailing and food delivery apps are amongst the top 10 most used apps – often used on a daily basis. Combining the two will allow users to combine tasks more efficiently.
Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO Uber said: “The Super App is Careem’s big bet for the wider Middle East region, and we’re excited by the positive, early signs we’re seeing, as people increasingly adopt digital services in their daily lives. I’ve been hugely impressed by the Careem team, as they have moved fast during the pandemic to innovate and meet changing consumer demand.”
On the Careem Super App, customers can now arrange a ride with one of Careem’s Captains, order food from over 10,000 partner restaurants across the region, and order daily essentials.
from supermarkets, pharmacies or other businesses. The Super App user can also choose a business not yet on the Super App and have goods purchased and picked up by a Captain and delivered to wherever they are. Every customer has access to Careem PAY – making it simple to pay for all services in a secure way. People can also transfer credit via Careem PAY to pay back family and friends or easily split a bill. Careem has also expanded its Rewards scheme. Super App customers now earn rewards points on every ride and order. Rewards points can be redeemed for discounts on rides, food, partner services or donated to a wide range of charities.
Captain’s – both car and bike – experience changing demands throughout the day. Increased demand across the Super App will provide Captains greater earnings and opportunities to serve more customers in more ways – this is particularly relevant during the Covid-19 pandemic. By spending less time waiting for rides and more time earning, Captains will get more out of their time with Careem.
The Super App enables merchants to partner with Careem and expand their business by expanding their customer base, payments and logistic capabilities. Partners will gain access to Careem’s 33 million registered users, Careem PAY payments infrastructure, along with a fast growing network for last mile delivery (LMD).
Careem’s purpose is to make people’s everyday life simpler, so that they can realise their potential and spend time on things they care about most. Becoming a Super App and simplifying the lives of people in the region in more ways is aligned with its purpose and is a natural evolution of the business to stay ahead of customer demands and market capabilities. From a business performance perspective, Careem expects to see increased revenues, lower customer acquisition costs and improved customer retention metrics through cross selling and customer use of multiple products and services. Over time, Careem will open its Super App to 3rd parties and developers to build their own services to live on Careem’s Super App platform. The roll-out of Careem’s Super App started in March 2020 and is expected to complete by the end of June 2020.
