HOLLY SPRINGS –  Need something now, but can’t run out to get it? The new “Gopher Request” app has got you covered, says Holly Springs entrepreneur John Newbury.

He is co-founder of the emerging on-demand community marketplace app that makes easy the delivery or any good or service, working in tandem with its partner app “Gopher Go.”

“We’re the perfect companion for the need-it now customer, especially in times like this,” he told WRAL TechWire. “The ‘Gopher Request’ app is where an offer is made for anything they would like.”

In addition to food delivery, Gopher users can use it to make some unique requests like landscaping, raking leaves, help moving, junk removal, dog walking, Rx refill pick up (non-controlled), ride sharing, courier service, grocery delivery, propane refill.

Gopher image

Gopher’s web page offers a sample of what users can order via the app

“The list goes on and on; options are limitless. If you need it, you can ask for it,” Newbury said.

How Gopher works

This is how it works: The “Gopher Go” app is made up of a network of community folks ready to complete Gopher requests. They see what is needed, where it is needed, when it is needed and how much is being offered for the request. If that works for them, the Requestor and Gopher are linked and can communicate accordingly.

Once the job is done, the money is transferred from the Requestor to the Gopher, safety and securely thru Stripe, the company’s payment platform partner.

The apps are different to other food delivery apps, like Uber Eats and Grubhub, because the requestors set the value by naming their price and time preference.

The startup entered the market with Apple iOS operating system, but it  is now in the final stages of developing the Android version, scheduled for release in early April.

Newbury added app downloads and users traffic has significantly increased due to recent business closures and more people working from home.

To help, he said the startup has temporarily changed its payment platform to waive all request fees until businesses and members of the community are back on their feet.

“We aren’t taking a dime and still paying for the transfer fee associated with the transaction. We know it is the right thing to do right now,” he said.

Guarding against virus

Newbury also assured users that “Gophers” will be virus symptoms free when they make their deliveries.

“We have sent multiple communication pieces to our User base, sharing Center for Disease Control and Prevention best practices of (how to prepare, how it spreads, how to protest yourself, family, home and others and how to manage anxiety and stress),” he said.

“We have also communicated with our Requestors how to use the app to accommodate social distancing and/or a “no-contact” delivery or task. We have asked our community Users to please read all of this information thoroughly and in the event they feel sick or show signs of symptoms, to please remove themselves from accepting Gopher Requests until they are well again.”