Hong Kong mobile ticketing app The Gulu eyes expansion out of F&B sector after providing remote queuing service for face masks
- The Gulu sees surge in registered users to 2 million after providing remote queuing for retailers selling surgical masks
- Lego store operator and Young Living are among the businesses seeking partnership with the The Gulu
Hong Kong-based mobile ticketing app The Gulu has gained widespread exposure after providing a remote queuing system for retailers selling surgical masks that allowed users to avoid lining up for hours amid the citywide shortage resulting from the Covid-19 outbreak.
While the mobile app was first conceived to help restaurants avoid long queues during lunch hours, the company has seen a surge in inquiries from businesses outside the food and beverage sector, after it helped retailers distribute masks without the endless line of customers, The Gulu’s founder and chief executive Eric Wong Chung-hup said.
“After we helped retailers sell surgical masks, a lot more business owners began to realise that our functions were not just confined to ticketing for restaurants, but could be applied to other areas as well,” said Wong.
The app works by issuing the user an online ticket which allocates them a place in the queue. They are then able to view the real-time queuing status on the app, and will receive a push notification when their turn arrives.
When Wong first saw on the news a few months back that the elderly were queuing up overnight and even sleeping on the streets to get face masks, he decided to reach out to vendors and pharmacies selling the protective items. He offered to provide The Gulu’s remote queuing service free of charge.
“We didn’t make any money helping to sell the masks, our business is not built on that,” said Wong.
“I don’t think people should queue up overnight to buy surgical masks. Rather, we wanted to make sure that our engine could provide a meaningful function to people so they wouldn’t need to line up to avoid the crowds.”
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During the Covid-19 outbreak, the mobile application has attracted other businesses outside of the F&B sector, including Kidsland International, the operator of Lego shops in Hong Kong, and essential oils provider Young Living.
Their latest partnership is with essential oil provider Young Living. The mobile application helps to provide crowd management services for customers who need to pick up products from the retailer’s office on the 20th floor in Causeway Bay, Wong said.
“Especially at times like these when we don’t want too many people to gather in one place at the same time, our system can help out. You don’t need to go up to the 20th floor before finding out that the lobby is fully packed,” said Wong.
Wong believes there are huge opportunities for the mobile app in the medical sector, where its functions could be used in emergency rooms or by private clinics so people wouldn’t need to wait with other patients.
“Even before the outbreak of the virus, we thought that our functions could be applicable in the medical sector, for example in emergency rooms. If I broke my leg, I wouldn’t want to hobble over to the emergency room and wait for hours. I would rather wait until it’s nearly my turn, or get a ticket right after the accident and arrive when it’s nearly time.”
The core of the company’s revenue comes from the monthly fees paid by its roughly 2,500 merchants, ranging from a few hundred to thousands of Hong Kong dollars depending on the services required.
The company also gains income from advertisements on its mobile app, as well as commission from takeaway services and e-coupons.
The company has grown to around 30 staff members from just three back in 2011, when it was originally established as a warrants trading engine.
The Gulu decided to shift gear in 2013 after noticing the long queues outside restaurants during lunch time at their office in Central. After more than nine months of development, the mobile application was launched in 2014.
The company received HK$20 million (US$2.58 million) in funding from Tencent in 2017, and has partnered with Tencent Cloud to provide food services through its app. It hopes to launch partnerships in other countries in southeast Asia in the future.
