Zmall Launches On-Demand Laundry Service in Addis Ababa

Zmall Delivery, one of Ethiopia’s largest e-commerce and delivery platforms, is introducing an on-demand laundry service to provide users with a hassle-free doorstep pickup and delivery experience for their laundry needs.

Scheduled for launch on January 1, 2024, this laundry service is the latest addition to Zmall’s offerings, as it aspires to become a comprehensive digital marketplace. The on-demand laundry service will cater to all types of clothing, from t-shirts to bed sheets and comforters. Delivery personnel will pick up the items, transport them to the laundry service, and return them after washing.

The startup, which expanded its operations to South Sudan, has incorporated 12 vehicles into its fleet for this service and plans to add 18 more shortly.

“Users will be able to fill in information about the items to be washed on the app, including specific requirements if they have any,” Yoseph Hailu, Marketing Manager at Zmall, told Shega.

To ensure quality service, the startup is collaborating with established names. Zmall is launching the service in partnership with Sunshine Laundry, a prominent brand with 17 branches in the capital. “We will onboard other laundry service providers and are in the process of adding A to Z Laundry, another prominent laundry service provider with 12 branches, to the app,” Yoseph added.

The on-demand laundry service offers three service tiers: Normal, Premium, and Luxury, differing in the speed of service. Normal orders are delivered within three days, Premium within one day, and Luxury within three hours.

Zmall employs both motorcycles and vehicles for on-demand delivery, with vehicles expected to carry the majority of the workload as motorcycles can only transport small orders. 

Besides the fees charged by the laundry, to use the Normal tier on-demand laundry service, users will have to incur an initial fee of 110 birr and a charge of 16 birr per kilometer for vehicle delivery. 

According to Yoseph, delivery prices are calculated on both the pickup and delivery.

Zmall, a product of the local technology firm ETTA Technology Solutions, was launched in 2020, initially focusing on delivering food from restaurants. The platform also aggregates supermarkets and suppliers and provides package delivery services.