On-demand deliveries in Costa Rica with what3words and GoPato

On-demand delivery is rapidly becoming the norm, rather than the exception, in many developed countries. A dress bought online can be delivered in time to wear out that evening, and people’s favourite restaurant food can appear on their desk in a matter of minutes.

But to perform at this level, delivery companies have a major challenge to overcome – poor addressing. Around 75% of the world suffers from inadequate addressing, and the problem is far greater in the developing world where deliveries are notoriously difficult. Postal workers and delivery drivers often resort to phoning the customer for directions in the last mile. This wastes time, money, and means customers don’t trust that their purchases will arrive on time, if at all.

Costa Rican on-demand courier GoPato have integrated what3words into their Facebook app so that customers can place orders using simple 3 word addresses to specify precise pick-up and delivery locations, accurate to 3m x 3m. This allows them to offer fast and reliable deliveries, even in a country with very poor street addressing.

3 word addresses improve business efficiency as drivers no longer waste time getting lost or phoning customers for directions. The benefits are also felt by customers, who now have a fast and user-friendly way to place their orders, and the confidence that their delivery driver will come to the right place at the right time.

As 3 word addresses can be anywhere and aren’t tied to a building or street, deliveries are also now possible on the go – in a park, or at the beach, for example. And the system also works offline, without a data connection, so it can be used by customers and drivers even in more remote areas where internet access is patchy.

You can find out more about GoPato on their website