Quickcanoe Foods, the 24/7 online supermarket, is positioning itself to transform grocery shopping in the region with a combination of wide choices, convenience and exceptional customer service.

Launched in March on Quickcanoe.com, the online outlet is forging a series of partnerships with supermarkets and food distributors in Jamaica and across the Caribbean.

The company recently signed a major deal with the GraceKennedy Group through its supermarket chain Hi Lo Foods, which immediately increases its Quickcanoe Foods grocery offerings to more than 8,000 items.

“Our projection is that Quickcanoe.com will transform the Caribbean marketplace by growing revenue online as well as for brick and mortar stores, strengthening the e-commerce capabilities of entrepreneurs, small and large businesses, while growing international exports and trade between Caribbean nations,” said Quickcanoe Co-founder Jomo Cato.

“In excess of 30,000 online transactions occur monthly in Jamaica. What was missing is the world-class digital ecosystem for Caribbean businesses to cater to the consumer demand — and we are providing that,” said Cato “Our consumers are already in the space and Caribbean businesses need to meet them there.”

In addition to the Hi-Lo arrangement, Quickcanoe sources directly from other major grocery suppliers.

Cato estimates that there is a US$100-million pie available just for online grocery shopping, based on a US$2-billion food supply industry in Jamaica, and he wants to be early to the table.

In the coming months, Quickcanoe is expected to announce at least two other supplier relationships — one with a local supplier and the other with a major Pan-Caribbean distributor — paving the way for its expansion in other Caribbean countries.

BUSY MOMS

The company says it’s motivated to provide a service that is fundamental to everyday lives and wants to deliver it with care and thoughtfulness, which Cato describes as a “shopping experience with the consumer at the heart of it”.

Time is a limited resource for women who are managing households and careers, hence Cato believes moms shopping for groceries on Quikcanoe.com will value the sheer relief of not having to deal with traffic, the stress of finding parking, and long checkout lines at cashiers.

Quickcanoe’s shopper research shows that it can save women up to three hours each week when they shop online.

QUICK, EASY AND FUN

The online shopper experience on Quickcanoe.com is personable. Shoppers can quickly register or simply shop as a guest; there is no registration fee. Quickcanoe accepts multiple payment options including Scotia’s Visa Debit card, NCB Keycard, and all major credit cards.

The company will also accept direct bank transfers and cheques from pre-qualified customers.

Quickcanoe can also assure same-day grocery delivery to more than 600 locations across Jamaica, including remote districts oftentimes overlooked.

DIASPORA

The diaspora community will also be an engine of growth for Quickcanoe Foods.

With more than US$2.2 billion in remittances to Jamaica in 2017, the company expects a huge uplift from Diaspora residents shopping for relatives back home. This not only allows them convenience, but better control and use of their funds.

“We are aggressively targeting the Diaspora market,” explained Cato. “Quickcanoe Foods offers them the peace of mind knowing that their hard -earned money is being spent exactly where they want it to go. This is how they ensure that their families are taken care of and are getting the best food delivered directly to their homes.”

Cato, who spent years marketing to the Diaspora with Digicel and Diageo, says to the Diaspora community: “Quickcanoe Foods does more for your family than phone credit, it means more than just sending money and putting them through a long line at a money transfer office. This is truly the most immediate, caring and effective way for Jamaicans and other Caribbean people living in New York, London, Toronto, to take care of their loved ones back home.”

Quickcanoe launched last June and operates locally from its Kingston office — a modest space mirroring a start-up in Silicon Valley. The teams at Quickcanoe are a blend of full-time staff and part-time associates recruited from the career placement services of UWI and UTech. Cato is one of three co-founders, Anup Ghosh and Gilbert Williams are the other two partners. In addition to operating from Kingston, Jamaica, its other offices are in New York, USA and Kolkata, India.

Cato says everything about the business is carefully thought out and purposeful. The look and feel of Quickcanoe.com is meant to inspire and engage the shopper with a minimalistic yet warm, creative layout that reflects the Caribbean. The technology supporting the marketplace is better than anything offered in the region and is built for scaling up to meet the company’s international growth objectives.

Trendsetting countries like China and the USA transact as much as 16 per cent of total retail sales online, and global projections have those figures growing rapidly over the next five years.

Success stories in grocery like US-based Shipt, Amazon Fresh, InstaCart have already proven that the online grocery model works.

A recent survey showed that a third of the US population is likely to buy groceries online and sales are expected to more than double from US$14.2 billion to US$30 billion by 2021.

Quickcanoe is encouraged by these global trends and the founders believe it’s in a prime position to be the e-commerce high performer in the region.