Food delivery startups in Zimbabwe have been increasing in number over the past 2 or so years. This is something Zimbabwe needs because delivery frameworks enable smooth uptake of eCommerce. I particularly like the fact that several food delivery startups in Zimbabwe are targeting restaurants. This is strategic in that it primes people to appreciate eCommerce. Imagine someone orders food from their favourite restaurant online and gets it delivered. The more they do this the more likely they are to explore eCommerce further. Today I am introducing to you an emerging food delivery startup in Bulawayo called Dash Delivery.

Who Is Dash Delivery?

Dash Delivery prides itself as Bulawayo’s number one Food Delivery business. They provide the widest selection of food, all available in one location. They have partnered with (and still are) several food outlets (e.g. restaurants).

How It All Works

Dash Delivery provides you with 3 options you can use to place an order. You can order via their mobile app (the app is available for iOS and Android users), their website, or you can WhatsApp +263719688818.

Let me do a brief walkthrough of how it all works using the web app option. When you get there the first thing you do is to choose your location. You can of course change it whenever needs are. This is integral to tailoring the customer experience to being individual-specific. You will then have to register to set up your account. Once logged in, there is a ‘Near Me’ option that allows you to see which restaurants are close to you.

You also have an option to explore restaurants, stores, or items. From your account, you can manage your address, your orders, your wallet, and your favourites. As much as Dash Delivery is a delivery service, you have an option to do a self-pickup as well. You can make a choice when placing your order. You can also receive all the necessary alerts regarding orders and the like.

Ergonomic Design Is Key To Great Customer Experiences

I have often underscored the importance of ergonomic design and I want to use Dash Delivery as an example. By ergonomic design, I am referring to user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). In designing digital products or services a startup must come up with an ergonomic design. This is when the look and functionality blend in well together. I am still using the Dash Delivery web app example to illustrate what I am discussing:

Minimalism And Simplicity

Dash Delivery has done a great job in including only the essentials. That is why the platform has few but core items. The home screen has only three core sections, My Account (Manage Address, My Orders, My Wallet, and My Favourites), Help & FAQs, and the tab at the bottom. The tab at the bottom has Near Me, Alerts, Explore, Cart, and Account. Despite all these elements being on one screen, they are not densely populated. This makes the whole design minimalistic which is easy on the eyes i.e. there is no visual stress on the eyes.

That has also been aided by the use of a white background and subtle contrasts to differentiate the different sections. The simplicity is demonstrated in how easy it is to do anything. For example, registering only takes entering your full name, email address, phone number, and password.

On average, you can do almost everything within 5 or fewer clicks. That is what truly defines simplicity. Making things even better is that there are no drags when loading after a click. This is an example of using minimalism and simplicity to produce an ergonomic design. Any Zimbabwean startup looking to develop digital products or services must learn from this.

Judging by some of the reviews I have seen so far, Dash Delivery has started quite well. My wish is that they break the rising bad reputation of food delivery startups in Zimbabwe. Not a week goes by without seeing complaints about some food delivery startups in Zimbabwe. That is why most of them never scale to become household names in Zimbabwe. So this is a challenge for Dash Delivery to maintain its streak of commendable customer service. If you want to engage with Dash Delivery you can do so via WhatsApp at +263719688818. You can engage them on Twitter and Facebook. You can also email info@dashdeliveryzw.com. Operating hours are from 1100hrs to 1900hrs, every day.