NoMango: An In-House Delta Venture
By: Jack Tilbury
Tags: Covid 19, Venture Builder, Agile Development, Software Development, E Commerce Business

The Delta, a venture development company, assists in building business and products alongside leading corporate organisations and entrepreneurs. Not only does this venture development occur in a co-creative manner but should the opportunity arise, The Delta’s venture department is not afraid to act on internal conceptualisations and ideas and bring these products to life. This occurs through a unique and finely established methodology of operations: validate, design, build and launch.

One such product, NoMango, is the result of an in-house venture stemming directly from The Delta’s very own venture team. Different from your traditional grocery store delivery applications, which are unique to that specific franchise, NoMango acts as a one cart application platform that is cross-operational across numerous grocery stores. The NoMango product was born out of the current times in which we find ourselves: lockdown regulations, curfews and limited access to stores. Not only this but also, store regulations stipulate that grocery stores close their doors between the hours of 5–6 PM — when most of us are still required to be at our ‘work from home’ office set-up. Therefore, this made the validation stage-gate of The Delta’s process methodology a relatively simple procedure which meant that design and build could get underway. Upon reflecting on the initial concept of NoMango, it is clear to see that it was a project that was easy to back and exciting to build, a combination that is highly sought after when it comes to venture development.

The coupling of the above sanctions has resulted in an array of new business models and revenue streams being thought of and developed, with delivery services being arguably the most prominent one. Whether it’s home office equipment, essential winter clothing, or your groceries, door-to-door delivery and the efficiency of the service within is booming. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. Not only was this product launched by The Delta due to the urgency of the service needed, but this venture presented a unique opportunity to represent the company’s corporate social responsibility through the economic opportunity that it creates. This is in-line with the vision of The Delta and the products with which we engage: building products and businesses that matter and have the ability to make a positive impact.

“The acceleration of e-commerce adoption due to COVID-19 has opened many gaps in the supporting industries. What is great about this opportunity is it gives us a chance to help the thousands of people who have lost their jobs during COVID19 to quickly get back to earning an income,” says Louis Buys, CEO of The Delta.

The current structure of the NoMango team consists of venture managers from The Delta as well as our shoppers and drivers who source the products for our clients and securely deliver them to their homes. In a time where economic livelihoods have been significantly affected (and for the worse at that matter), NoMango provides a substitute revenue stream for its shoppers and drivers who will not only get comfort in the fact that they are able to earn a living but can also take pride in knowing that their essential services are assisting in keeping our economy ticking. With NoMango, users are able to purchase products from the likes of Pick n Pay and Woolworths as well as having their medical and hygiene needs catered for through Clicks and Wellness Warehouse. Currently, NoMango delivers products to a selected range of locations due to the service being in its infancy. As the product and service offerings grow, so scalability will follow suit and an expansion of delivery points will occur as new drivers and shoppers are on-boarded.

The NoMango venture has provided multiple benefits both internally to The Delta as well as externally to the job creation that it has facilitated and the essential service which it fulfils. As The Delta grows, the in-house venture department will continue to attempt to break new grounds and launch innovative products directly through its unique validation, design, development methodology and product teams. NoMango acts as a cornerstone for homegrown products, illustrating what the team is capable of. As we continue to launch new products in a time where business operations are limited to those ‘essential services’ performed by a select few workers, we have seen that societies and economies within have been maintained by those workers refuelling our cars, scanning our groceries, delivering our online orders and most importantly taking care of our health and up-keeping our medical institutions. In a world where certain income brackets dictate social standings and skill-levels, 2020 has so far taught us to re-evaluate the importance of certain jobs. Let us never deem those workers ‘low-skilled’ again.