y times,” Bartalotta told Inside Retail. “It’s really quick to order something, but most of the time, you’re left waiting for days for it to arrive. The alternative is for you to go in-store, but that takes time and effort.”

Gimme aims to offer the best of both worlds: the ease of online shopping and near-instant fulfilment of buying something in-store. 

While a growing number of retailers offer same-day delivery for online orders, a much smaller number advertise delivery in under three hours. Gimme is able to do it thanks to its network of personal shoppers, which it calls Buddies. 

Much like Uber Eats and Deliveroo, users can log into the Gimme app to place an order and get connected to a nearby Buddy who will bring it to their doorstep.

Unlike those food delivery apps, however, Gimme is decentralised, which means users aren’t limited to shopping with businesses that have signed up to the platform. They can make purchases from any store in their vicinity. 

Once they select a store, users can create a shopping list by browsing the retailer’s website and taking screenshots of the products they want to buy in the Gimme app, or uploading photos from their phone. These are added to their basket in the app, which their Buddy uses to complete the purchase in-store. Orders are currently limited to four items, but there are plans to expand this in future.

Users pay for their purchase in advance, and the money is held in escrow until the delivery is complete. Buddies can either use the app or their own funds to make the purchase in-store and get reimbursed later. Deliveries start at $15 for orders within a 3km radius, but cost more for longer distances.

The co-founders have been testing Gimme since January, but only launched the personal shopping service last month, leading to a 50 per cent spike in downloads. Over 2000 people have downloaded the app so far. 

With most retail stores currently closed due to Covid-19 lockdowns, except for supermarkets, pharmacies and newsagents, it’s been difficult to get a read on the types of purchases users would make if all stores were open. 

“We’ve found a large number of orders going through food stores — more groceries from boutique dealers like your local butcher, rather than the big supermarket chains,” Bartalotta said. 

But he expects to see an uptick in orders going through department stores once they reopen.

In addition to personal shopping, Buddies can also pick up click-and-collect orders. Users just need to provide a photo of their order confirmation and sign an authorisation form in the app that gives their Buddy permission to pick up the order. 

The co-founders are in the process of expanding the app to include on-demand delivery of prescription medication. 

“You take a photo of your script and a Buddy will deliver your medication to you within two hours,” Bartalotta said. “We’re working with a number of pharmacies and have a few doctors onboard to implement it.” 

They are also talking to a number of large retailers about integrating the app as a delivery option at checkout. 

“Although we are decentralised and don’t rely on partnerships, we see value in strategic partnerships to improve the shopping service,” he said. 

Gimme currently has 1800 Buddies across Melbourne and Sydney, and growing this number is a top priority as the team looks to expand the app into new markets. 

“We’re looking at expanding into Brisbane in Q1 or Q2 next year,” Bartalotta said.