The Lowdown: DELLI
I think it’s one L...
Nope it’s definitely two. DELLI was launched this year by Depop founder Simon Beckerman and is intended to provide an online retail platform ‘for the new generation of food makers in the UK’. The London-based company has just completed a $7.2m capital raise.
Back up a bit. What’s Depop?
A peer-to-peer e-commerce company that disrupted the fashion industry by allowing users to buy and sell items quickly and easily. Depop has well over 20 million users worldwide, and the vast majority of them are under 26.
Isn’t that just eBay? Why all the fuss?
Depop’s success is down to its user interface. It works in a similar way to social media platforms - most notably Instagram - allowing users to follow other sellers and have their posts appear in their feed. It’s also possible to interact with other users and search for things using hashtags. Some of the sellers on Depop have amassed huge followings and often model their clothes themselves.
How will all this translate into a food app?
While there are some similarities - not least the user experience being similar to social apps - DELLI is not a facsimile of Depop. The app takes inspiration from the fashion industry to use the drop model, a sales strategy that sees brands release a new product or collection at a specific time in limited quantities. Such an approach creates a feeling of exclusivity and urgency which encourages customers to buy the product right away at full price. DELLI points out that - when applied to food and drink - the model combats obstacles small producers can face like managing food waste, delivery and cash flow.
But who is the platform actually aimed at?
Pretty much anyone that wants to sell food online, from home cooks to restaurant pros. A number of brands well-known in the restaurant and retail space are already using the platform, including Sonora Taquería, Maya’s Bakehouse and Kold Sauce. DELLI is well-connected thanks to the involvement of strategist and creative Natalie Lee Joe, who worked with Australian-born chef Brett Redman on a number of different restaurant projects, including hip hotel restaurant The Neptune and yakitori specialist Jidori.
Why not just stick your products on your website?
That is of course an option for those that don’t want to hand over a cut to a third party. But if DELLI ends up following the same trajectory of Depop it could soon be a force to be reckoned with, providing restaurants with the peer-to-peer clout to grow and diversify their business.
