BC Business
Zipments | BCBusiness
Zipments arrived in Vancouver last November with the aim of revolutionizing the courier industry by providing a sharing-economy style retail-to-consumer delivery service that uses a mix of independent couriers and individuals vetted by Zipments dubbed “lifestyle couriers.” Inspired by an app designed to help New York’s bicycle couriers, Zipments was launched in Canada by Vancouver-based entrepreneur Robert Safrata, who partnered with local businesses to offer a new delivery service in time for the pre-holiday retail rush.
The company has now set its sights on the time-poor consumer-to-consumer market with the launch of Zipments For You. Using the same model of connecting consumers to their 260 lifestyle couriers, the service provides delivery from one person to another—at any location, any day of the week, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
“We initially launched with retail partners MEC, Purdy’s Chocolates and Edible Canada as a means of kicking off the company with an engaged customer base and to test the platform,” says Zipments CEO Robert Safrata. “The results have been successful. Retailers have been looking for a quick and easy solution.”
Safrata had always included Zipments For You as an important part of his business plan and could see an opportunity in the consumer-to-consumer segment to provide a solution for busy, tech-savvy customers. “We foresee that the key users will be millennials and those that are comfortable with technology, as well as the time-deprived working professionals, including working mothers and fathers,” he says. “Whether it’s delivering a forgotten lunch to school or picking up a prescription, there are many things in the day that can be outsourced.”
Safrata acknowledges that as with any startup, it will take time to build users, but is confident that once people experience the personal courier service, demand will quickly grow.