How many times have you been in an Uber rushing to get somewhere and realized you forgot something back at home? If you’re like every other New Yorker, the answer is too many to count. Luckily, there’s a startup that’s here to help: Cargo.
Cargo is an in-car service that allows passengers to order products on their phone, directly from their drivers. Products sit in a box in the car, offering in-ride products like snacks, beauty products, mints, stain removers and energy drinks. Checkout is simple and takes an estimated 30 seconds. Passengers type in the URL displayed on the Cargo box and the menu of items appear on their screen. They select the items, pay with their card and the driver is notified of the transaction.
Sounds simple enough, right? Not so on the backend.
“From a software perspective, we have the only inventory and order management system that can simultaneously track, reconcile and replenish inventory across thousands of independent mobile storefronts,” said CEO Jeff Cripe. “When a driver signs up, we provide a pre-packed Cargo box and then track every order in real-time so that we can automatically ship replenishments directly to drivers' homes before they ever stock out of a good.”
Founded by former Birchbox employees, Cargo was created on the basis that they would build their systems the right way, in-house and on the latest technology stack from the get go. They put tons of time and effort into testing so that once they launched, they would be fully scalable. Two months into their soft launch, they have thousands of signups across 47 states and are operating in three of the largest rideshare markets in the U.S.
So, what’s in it for drivers? For one, it costs nothing for them to have a Cargo box in their car. It also helps that they get paid every time a passenger makes a purchase. There’s even a driver referral program that gives drivers a $20 bonus every time a new driver signs up for Cargo using their code.
“Our top drivers average 30-50 referrals each. One tech-savvy driver even bought and promotes the domain ‘StartCargo.today,’ which redirects to Cargo's website with his referral code,” said Cripe. “Especially in New York City, rideshare drivers are entrepreneurs. Cargo is a business within their business that helps reduce their fixed and variable costs.”
Photos via featured company and Shutterstock.
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