Joshua Afolabi has big plans to redefine what “fast” really means in the fast fashion world.
He is founder and CEO of Atlanta-based Tuggo Technologies Inc (2GGO), a platform that reduces shipping times for online shoppers. Online retail partners send inventory to the 2GGO fulfillment center in Atlanta, and that inventory is added to the startup’s app.
Customers using the app see real-time inventory that is all available for same-day delivery. The app then partners with gig economy drivers to make those deliveries happen.
It is a “mall-like app” for the fashion world, Afolabi told Hypepotamus. The platform makes money through delivery feeds and a shelving fee for those brands using its fulfillment center.
2GGO got off the ground in 2019 before the shipping and logistics industry started adjusting to post-pandemic norms. At the time, Afolabi and his team were focused on delivery services for local retailers.
“Fast forward to 2021, we realized the biggest pain point was with online shoppers who had to deal with long shipping times and no infrastructure in place to get the clothes or beauty products to them quicker,” added Afolabi. “We pivoted and focused on solving that problem. We built out our MVP and ran a small test, we had customers ordering things as early as 5 am to be delivered the same day, at this point, we knew it was the right time to launch.”
THE CHANGING FASHION LANDSCAPE
The nature of online clothing and beauty shopping has changed since the start of the pandemic. Now, brands are dealing with last-mile delivery problems and a growing pile of returns.
Buyers expectations have also changed. The concept of two-day shipping, popularized by Amazon, is now an expectation for most shoppers.
“Customers want speedy low-cost delivery options in the fashion and beauty space which traditional models don’t offer. We have had customers tell us how they end up shopping at Amazon for fashion items because of how quickly they can get the items. They shop there for speed in delivery but not preference in fashion outfits. 2ggo has a big role to play in the way fashion retail is shaped moving forward. We are focused on a different vertical in the “same-day delivery ” space and we believe 5-10 years from now, no one is going to want to wait 3-10 business days for a dress they bought online,” Afolabi added.
The startup, based out of Atlanta, is currently bootstrapped with a total of five team members. The platform is currently in beta testing after launching its MVP in the app store. Afolabi said the team plans to raise a pre-seed round in the next six months and will fully launch its platform out of beta in 2023.
As for growth moving forward, Afolabi said Atlanta is the right place to be building such an ecommerce logistics startup.
“Atlanta is the best spot to launch 2ggo! Atlanta is extremely fashion-forward with a lot of history in the business and tech world,” he added. “A lot of Gen z’s are moving to Atlanta to experience the hype! Creating the next big company coming out of Atlanta means so much to us. The retail scene over the last few years has exploded and we believe we are right in the middle of a huge opportunity with 2ggo!”
