DTC’s Daily Digest brings you the latest news on the world’s fastest growing direct-to-consumer brands. In today’s edition: Ola signs up 10,000 drivers ahead of London launch; Eyes on Nike’s DTC business; and Grocemania funding on Seedrs. 

Ola signs up 10,000 drivers ahead of London launch

Indian ride-sharing firm Ola signed up 10,000 drivers ahead of its launch in London.

Ola announced that it will enter the UK market last month after Uber was stripped of its London license. Uber is still operating in the city under appeal. Although an official launch has not been announced, reports claimed that the service will roll in mid-January next year.

What probably attracted London drivers to sign up is Ola’s announcement that drivers on its platform will pay no commission to Ola for two months, meaning they will keep all their earnings.

In 2018, London had 108,900 licensed taxi and private hire vehicles, with the latter type accounting for 87,900 of the vehicles.

Uber and Bolt also operate in the city but on November 25, Transport for London (TfL) said it would not renew Uber’s license to operate in the city after the company had allowed unauthorized drivers to pick up passengers by uploading their photos to other Uber driver accounts. The London regulator claimed this happened in at least 14,000 journeys.

Eyes on Nike’s DTC business

As Nike prepares to announce their earnings, all eyes will turn to its direct-to-consumer business. 

Nike shares have climbed 34.2% this year. About two years ago, the maker of athletic apparel and footwear announced a plan to revamp its digital presence and focus on selling directly to the consumer. As part of that ongoing effort, Nike's latest move was to end its two-year relationship with Amazon. Since that announcement about a month ago, the stock has gained more than 7%.

Nike's idea of digital isn't just selling products on an e-commerce site but instead creating a personalised experience for customers. According to a September article in Fast Company, Nike spent about USD$1bn as part of the strategy, and NikePlus, its digital loyalty program, now has a subscriber list of 170 million and growing. Members of the program can use the Nike app for everything from reserving a product to finding the perfect shoe size -- a feature scans the foot in a matter of seconds.

Grocemania funding on Seedrs

Grocemania, an on-demand (one hour) delivery service allowing customers to shop for groceries and drinks at local stores, is funding on Seedrs. The business is looking to raise £80k. 

On the back of their first Seedrs campaign, Grocemania saw thousands of orders, 63 stores joining the platform across London, and a 4.1/5 satisfaction rating. The company has also now launched in Brighton. 

Grocemania is looking to use this crowdfunding campaign to accelerate expansions into Nottingham and Bournemouth, launch their first conference and finish important tech developments required to analyze and work with their product data. 

A third of the proceeds will be used to hire staff to bring new stores on board, while 45% will support marketing. This includes Google Ads (the most converting channel for Grocemania), collaboration with influencers and local press, and a first radio ad. 

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