The American CNN network highlighted the success story of the “Haat” application, which was launched from the city of Umm al-Fahm and turned into a company valued at more than $100 million, after its success in addressing complex problems faced by Arab citizens of Israel in the delivery and electronic payment sectors.
The idea of establishing it dates back to 2019, when it was launched by Hassan Abbasi, after he struggled to order a meal to his home due to the delivery workers’ inability to determine the address. This is a problem rooted in many Arab towns and neighborhoods whose streets lack clear names and whose houses have numbers, and rely instead on the names of families, neighborhoods, and local landmarks.
In addition to the address crisis, the obstacle to electronic payment has emerged. Many residents lack bank cards, at a time when major applications such as “Wolt” rely on card payment only. From here came the idea of the “Haat” application, which combined ordering via phone with the option of paying in cash upon receipt.
The app started locally in Umm al-Fahm and expanded to neighboring towns, achieving rapid growth during the Corona pandemic. Today, it operates in about 50 cities, cooperating with more than 10,000 restaurants and stores, and supporting more than 500 delivery workers.
The company’s services were not limited to food delivery only, but rather it invested in its drivers’ route data and machine learning techniques to create maps that include roads, neighborhoods, and entrances that are absent in traditional navigation applications, confirming that its maps provide 30% more roads in its areas of operation. In Umm al-Fahm, this data contributed to supporting a project for local authorities to name streets and number houses, which removed obstacles to mail and emergency services.
The application also enabled local stores and restaurants to expand their business beyond their traditional neighborhoods, such as the “Krunchy Chicken” restaurant in Baqa al-Gharbiya, which expanded thanks to its appearance on the platform and the cash payment option. “Haat” services expanded to include paying utility bills and telephones in cash, leading to entering the Tel Aviv market and competing with “Wolt” which dominates the Israeli market.
The company’s leaders confirm that the secret of their success lies in their deep knowledge of the needs of local communities and their ability to fill the gaps created by traditional digital technology services.
