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New York-based micro-fulfilment company Ohi is offering a platform for brands to sell products to customers within two hours
Spotted: Using their ‘micro warehouses’ in big cities such as New York and LA, Ohi works with brands to deliver orders in times ranging from the same day to two-hours.
“It used to be if you want something straight away, your option is to go down to your local CVS, and you buy it, but if you’re trying to compete with this in direct to consumer, you need to offer that similar level of experience,” says Ben Jones, CEO and founder of Ohi. “It’s more the immediate gratification.”
Ohi works in combination with proprietary technology, which places its brands close to the end customer. Jamie Lissette, CEO of one of these brands, Athletic Brewing Company, says “One customer ordered at 5:30 and had it delivered by 6 p.m., timed perfectly with his Uber Eats order. We sell thousands of packages of non-alcoholic beer a week, and it is great to have same day options in certain metro areas.”
Ohi works closely with the brands they help, even advising them on what will be most likely to sell, and the quantity of products probably required for each location.
Most deliveries are sustainable too: Ohi employs courier services which deliver on foot, or by bike.
Ohi was founded just one year ago, but has grown in size by 10 times since the end of March and quadrupled the number of brands it services, mostly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the upsurge of home deliveries. They are adding on average 60 new brands to their portfolio each month, and hope to expand around the US. “My hope is that we continue growing very quickly and bring on new brands and new markets to offer this as an amazing experience to consumers all over the U.S,” says Jones.
Explore more: Food & Drink Innovations | Retail Innovations