What does Enroute do?
Enroute developed a personalized, location-based commerce and loyalty platform linked to mobility apps like Uber, Lyft, etc. and to mass transit services, allowing passengers to ride or fly for FREE as they shop, interact and collect items from locations next to their destination.
How did you/the founders come up with the idea?
We were brainstorming on what will people do with their newly created en-route time, once self-driving cars hit the roads, and then we understood two things. First, millions and millions of people are using “self-driving” cars every day, when they board a train, a bus or a ride-hailing car. Second, passengers use their free time in mobility to shop online. In fact, in the UK, 20% of all online shopping occurs during the morning commute.
Could you tell us a bit about you and your team?
Enroute is an Israeli based startup. As many of the companies from the “startup nation” most of the technology come from the Israeli military, where Sagi, Enroute’s CTO, was an officer at one of the most prestigious tech units for 7 years before leading development teams for Israeli tech companies. I (Aviv) was in media for many years. I was a national radio and TV presenter and tech journalist before deciding to co-found my own company with Sagi.
What are the other alternatives to Enroute?
There are a few B2C apps out there like iBotta or Validated that allow users to earn ride credits as they shop. Enroute took a B2B2C path, our platform is bundled in existing apps and thus can reach far more users with fewer resources. Thus empowering transport companies by creating a win-win-win situation where mobility companies can make more money, retailers can interact with users in the “golden-time” of mobility, and passengers can ride for free. Another unique feature is “click & collect”, the ability to shop during the ride and collect at the destination is something that may make life easier not only for passengers, but also empower local businesses and reduce emissions when fewer deliveries and returns will be needed.
Who is your target customer?
Mobility companies. Either mass transit services or MaaS and ride-hailing apps.
How does your product make a difference to the industry?
We offer mobility companies a new revenue stream, a fresh loyalty scheme and lots of valuable data.
What are the milestones for Enroute?
After signing an LOI with JR West and working closely with them and Dentsu, we hope to launch a POC in the Osaka area. In the meantime, we will also be launching another collaboration with another mobility partner in a different territory.
Why did you start targeting Japan?
Japan is one of the most interesting markets for us for three reasons.
1. A huge chunk of transportation is with mobility services.
2. Japanese are very tech-savvy and eCommerce is very big.
3. Point collection in Japan has become like a national sport. It even has a new name in Japanese – ポイ活 (poikatsu – shortened word for ポイント活動 / pointo katsudou, referring to the lifestyle that seeks a way to save money by collecting all sorts of reward points).
