Community delivery platform to be rolled out throughout Scotland

Dundee web and marketing companies, MTC Media and DLR Media have partnered with Scotland’s Improvement Districts to launch a vital local delivery service throughout Scotland’s towns and cities.

Many Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Scotland will be at the forefront of the local response to the COVID-19 outbreak through a £1 million resilience fund made available by the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, Aileen Campbell.

BIDs are collaborative business improvement projects whereby local businesses vote to establish a company to deliver joint economic and business development initiatives from a shared fund. Local businesses agree to pay an additional levy on top of their business rates to pay for projects that will improve the local economy and business outcomes for businesses and communities alike. There are 37 active BIDs across Scotland with many more in the pipeline.

Alongside the package of measures to support businesses, including a suspension of business rates for some, Scotland’s Improvement Districts, the national centre for BIDs, have suggested that local authorities might agree not collect the BID levy during the current COVID-19 crisis, while the £1 million funding package will allow many BIDs to play a vital role in supporting local companies and town centres during these challenging times.

As part of the COVID-19 BIDs Resilience Fund, Scotland’s Improvement Districts have partnered with Dundee based web and marketing companies MTC Media and DLR Media to offer an online ordering platform which will allow local towns and cities to process orders quickly through the Hungrrr technology.

Hungrrr has doubled its new client intake after a rush of coronavirus-hit restaurants and hotels signed up for its online ordering, takeaway and delivery system.

Demand for deliveries has soared as people find themselves self-isolating and food and drink businesses' on-premises trade disappeared almost overnight on the back of UK Government advice.

The system provides a fully branded website for each client, as well as a fully branded app for both iOS (Apple) and Android. This allows those businesses to continue trading at a time when simply answering the phone and writing down orders is not fast enough or scalable enough to keep the business alive. The technology allows them to list their products and take orders with secure online payment via the website and/or apps.

As part of the role out, DLR Media will be helping local towns and cities with the public wide promotion of the service along with helping local businesses with key skills such as social media and direct marketing through webinars.

Phil Prentice, Chief Officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership and Programme Director of Scotland’s Improvement Districts, said:

“The current crisis has made our local high street seem very distant. However we all want to ensure that our businesses are still there for us when things improve. Digital services that allow us to continue to ‘shop local’ during the lockdown have a crucial role to play now and in the recovery”.

“At Scotland’s Towns Partnership we have been partnering with a range of Scottish-based digital providers such as Hungrrr who can offer a mix of solutions that will encourage more localism, build resilience and help support our local independent business sector through a difficult time. They also allow more traditional businesses to dip their toes into the world of e-commerce in a low-risk and shared environment”.

Mike Callachan, Managing Director of MTC Media said: “Being a Scottish company we have witnessed first hand the impact Covid-19 has had on many businesses. Being in a position to enable them to continue trading is humbling and something we are incredibly proud of. If you could have designed a piece of software which would be ideal for this exact situation, Hungrrr would be it. Not only does it allow businesses the ability get online fast and continue trading - but it also keeps people at home allowing local businesses to deliver safely and securely to them whilst maintaining social distancing rules.”

Daniel Rosie, Managing Director of DLR Media said: “We are working closely with a range of organisations and businesses, both small and large throughout Scotland during this challenging time. Online ordering and delivery may be a totally new concept to some businesses, but our team are available to guide and support these businesses through this transition. The Hungrrr platform presents a great opportunity for Scottish businesses to continue to trade quickly and cost effectively.”

Hungrrr was formed in 2016 as a spin-out from MTC Media. Its system is sold through technology partners and can be individually branded for each venue or brand that uses it. Clients of the brand include BrewDog and Di Maggios Group.

If you have a business and are currently taking orders over the phone then contact Hungrrr and we can allow you to scale this up without the need for more phone lines.

Find out more online at: www.hungrrr.co.uk