On-demand logistics in emerging markets.

In Africa's challenging logistics landscape, where unreliable transportation methods hinder economic growth, OX Delivers began with a grand vision to revolutionize goods movement with its purpose-built electric truck designed to navigate extreme terrains.

I led the team at Endava that drives our collaboration with OX at the outset of its amazing journey to tackle these challenges head-on, leveraging digital solutions to amplify the OX truck's impact and empower local communities by providing accessibility to mobility as a service through the mobile devices they use.

Platform Vision

OX's mission is to create on-demand logistic service in emerging markets by providing clean, affordable transport solution. Based on this, I help craft the platform vision of the digital solutions that we help create.

Create a mobility-as-a-service platform that seamlessly integrates with OX’s electric trucks, empowering local communities with efficient logistics management and access to OX’s services.

OX platform enables local farmers and entrepreneurs to easily schedule, track, and manage deliveries for their produce, providing real-time data into their goods' whereabouts to drive operational efficiency for their businesses and foster economic growth for local communities.

Target Customers

There are three core customer groups we identified for OX to deliver new opportunities for each:

  1. Sole Traders: Including subsistence farmers and other small traders who currently do not use transportation services, representing 60% of the workforce in Africa.

  2. Commercial Customers: These are businesses with a geographically distributed customer base, such as wholesalers. For them, transportation costs typically account for 40% of the value of goods, which increases prices and constrains business growth.

  3. Partners: These are third-party businesses with products or services that can be enhanced by combining with logistics-related products, such as Telecoms, Energy, eCommerce, and Finance.

Market Challenges

Globally, 3.4 billion people lack access to motorized transport, with a third located in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

The transport crisis disproportionately affects women and children, who often carry loads of 30kg or more for over 10km to reach roadsides or markets.

There are approximately 1 billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 70% residing in rural areas, totaling around 700 million individuals. Despite a high mobile phone penetration rate of 80%, many regions face infrastructural obstacles, such as 50% of roads being unpaved.

In Rwanda specifically, agriculture holds significant economic value, amounting to 3 billion USD annually, with around 60% of the working population engaged in informal agriculture, and 10% in formal agriculture, totaling approximately 3 million people.

On average, each farmer earns roughly 1000 USD annually, while transport-related expenses constitute 40% of the cost of goods.

Furthermore, Rwanda's vehicle ownership stands at 17 vehicles per 1000 people, significantly lower than the 1 vehicle per 2 people in the UK or 1 vehicle per 1.15 people in the US, underscoring the transportation challenges faced in the region.

Approach

Starting with a solid grasp of our target audience and their everyday pain points, we embarked on a journey to map out their future experiences with OX. This involved creating both customer journeys and service blueprints, along with prototypes showcasing how OX's services and platform can be integrated into their lives to address challenges related to transportation, payment processing, goods tracking, and beyond.


Target Audience Understanding

To understand the challenges and needs of our target audience in developing markets, we leverage various user research and ethnographic studies to gain insights into the daily lives and pain points of individuals across diverse developing economies. This helped us identify common struggles and opportunities in our target markets. Utilizing a global database and insights from HCD research conducted by The Human Account, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with detailed user research across 6 developing countries representing a combined population of over 1.98 billion underserved individuals, we gained invaluable firsthand knowledge of their unique needs and aspirations.


Customer Journeys and Service Blueprint Mapping

We then map out the future customer journeys and service blueprint. This involves envisioning how OX trucks can assist our target customers in transporting their goods from point A to B and how OX Trucks can support an ecosystem that enables better trading. Additionally, we explore how OX can provide a range of tools and services to further facilitate and address existing customer pain points in transportation, payment, and goods tracking.


Prototype using the devices Target Users use

Based on these innovative concepts and the future journeys we wish to create for OX's target customers, we began prototyping application flow on feature phones. Considering that only a third of adults own a smartphone, while feature phones (like flip phones) remain the most prevalent mobile devices in Sub-Saharan Africa, often serving as mobile bank accounts and identity verification for individuals. By leveraging these widely used devices, we can make OX services more accessible and empower the majority to easily benefit from what OX offers.

Delivering Efficient Logistics with Three OX Apps

OX's success hinges on seamless logistics operations. To empower efficient deliveries across diverse demographics, we created three interconnected apps tailored to specific user needs:

Reaching the Underserved: The USSD App
While smartphones remain out of reach for many in our target audiences, feature phones are ubiquitous. We harnessed the power of USSD technology to develop an innovative pay-as-you-go "app" accessible even on the most basic 2G/feature phones. The OX platform, built using USSD interface and menu-driven interactions, brings OX services directly to fingertips of our target users.

Optimizing Operations: The Web App Command Center

For OX's team, streamlining deliveries is paramount. Our web application acts as the central command center, facilitating dispatching, routing, and scheduling with unparalleled efficiency. This empowers OX to provide the highest level of service by harnessing real-time data and insightful metrics. Data on distances traveled and loads carried fuels continuous improvement, ensuring optimal logistics every time.

Empowering OX Drivers: The Smartphone App for Seamless Journeys

The OX smartphone app, dispatched by the web app, equips OX's DriversPlus with the ultimate navigational companion. Eliminate guesswork with route planning, seamlessly feed crucial data back to the central hub, and stay on top of every shipment with real-time tracking. This empowers OX’s drivers, optimizes deliveries, and ensures customer satisfaction.

“These three apps, working in harmony, form the backbone of OX’s digital platform. Each app, individually innovative, unlocks greater potential when combined.”

Driver Plus Strategy

We have also developed the Driver Plus Strategy to empower OX drivers beyond traditional roles. OX drivers don't just drive; they are the reason why OX can establish a local salesforce and be the strongest advocate of the brand.

OX Drivers (We call them DriverPlus) are trained to cultivate customer relationships, care for OX trucks, manage their own depot P&L, handle business development, and manage community relations. Through the DriverPlus program, OX has been able to build the OX family to over 75 strong in Rwanda.

Part of building a successful logistics operation in Rwanda is investing in local people as much as they invest in OX. Utilizing local drivers' knowledge and networks in Rwanda helps OX build healthy customer relationships and provide the best service possible.

Result and Impact

OX's journey has been nothing short of remarkable. Since September 2020, OX has secured grant-funded projects worth over £20m from USAID, Innovate UK, the Advanced Propulsion Centre, UK AID, and others.

It has been named as one of the best inventions of 2022 by Time Magazine.

Through an accessible pay-as-you-go app, the OX ecosystem provides affordable transport to billions of people who would otherwise never own a vehicle, whether new or used. This innovative platform delivers clean transport and creates opportunities for social and economic development. I am honored to have played a small part in OX’s incredible venture, and I am truly excited about their future expansion and impact in the years to come.