The innovative Fetch.je website initiative was launched in Jersey at the end of March to support the local community with safe and continued online shopping during the initial pandemic restrictions. For the first time, Jersey had an online marketplace where shops, service providers, restaurants and cafés, with minimal or no existing online presence and limited delivery services, were able to rapidly trade online, with goods and services purchased for home delivery or collection.
Jersey Post has provided an established infrastructure and delivery network for the website since it launched earlier this year, however, the acquisition will build on this existing arrangement and kick start a series of further developments for customers and retailers.
“This acquisition is very different from those that we have completed in recent times,” said David McGrath, Group Marketing Director at Jersey Post. “The Fetch concept offers Jersey Post a unique opportunity to further develop the established platform and its functionality, not just for the end users, but also for the growth of the local retail industry. At a key time in the retail calendar, we are excited about the potential developments and improvements we have lined up to support the high-street and its customers,” he continued.
Jersey Post’s scheduled developments for the platform will see the creation of a digital high-street marketplace for Jersey that will support and facilitate the ongoing campaign for islanders to shop local. With a total redevelopment of the website and the launch of a new mobile app, shoppers will benefit from an end-to-end customer-centric local shopping experience, whilst retailers will gain from a complete online digital presence, established delivery network and the ability to react rapidly changing trends within the local marketplace.
Tim Brown, Chief Executive at Jersey Post reiterated, “The Fetch.je acquisition may not be as global as some of our other partnerships but is just as significant in its importance and role within our community. The planned developments hold huge potential for the growth of the local online retail industry, and we are hugely excited about that. However, at present, with Covid-19 continuing to disrupt normal daily routines, this website also plays a vital strategic role in our economy, providing local business continuity, employment, and safe shopping methods for the Jersey community. This is one of our most exciting acquisitions to date.”
Through the acquisition, the existing Fetch.je team will stay on and work with Jersey Post on the planned system development and modifications. These updates will allow the platform to accommodate an increased number of businesses ahead of the peak Christmas retail period, and Jersey Post is encouraging any interested parties to get in touch.
Tony Moretta, Head of Digital Jersey stated, “It’s always great to see a business develop from concept to start up to expansion, and it’s been a particular pleasure to track and support the growth of Fetch.je in recent months, not least as the winner of the Digital Jersey Covid-19 Challenge which offered timely financial and expert support in the early days of the pandemic. The Fetch team are a talented bunch, but to see them now sit under the Jersey Post umbrella – itself a digitally transformed organisation – gives me real heart. It’s a testament to the skills, energy and enterprise within our digital community, but is also the epitome of one business helping another. As a result, everybody wins.”
The Fetch.je website can be found here at www.fetch.je and orders can continue to be placed as usual. Any business wanting to offer their services via Fetch.je, can sign up now.
