“Tech always has been and always will be a part of our business. I have always had an interest in the challenges of solving problems be it creating tech solutions, efficiencies of service and innovation in our business and those we assist.”
TapTuck CEO, James White, who describes himself as a serial entrepreneur, and lover of all things tech works together with his Durban business partners Tim Strang, Chief Growth Officer, and Byron Verreyne, Chief Technical Officer of ORDEV who together run this innovation house that strives to evolve businesses through digital innovation & transformation.
Together as a team, their core mission is striving to be the digital ordering solution for every customer no matter the environment.
After matriculating, White went straight into the hospitality industry, earning his stripes as a waiter server all the way on to then managing various restaurants. During this time he also continued with his studies in BCOM Marketing, as well as his BCOM HONS in Logistics.
Once he graduated, he left the hospitality industry and went on to work at Maersk Shipping line. The call to go back to hospitality was strong and in 2009 he took the “entrepreneurial leap of faith” to open a restaurant with a friend, and since then, he has never looked back!
With his continued thirst for knowledge and technology solutions for his business (as well as other businesses); White developed a number of successful cashless payments and ordering solutions for several business genres.
White says, “I had worked with Tim Strang and ORDEV on a number of their software solutions and, in 2020, we put a deal together to invest in TapTuck which at this stage had just been launched as a healthy eating platform”.
Being a proud father of two, healthy school lunches and kids carrying cash to school were and are real problems facing many South African schools today. “If we could help busy parents and ease admin-burdened schools in making their lives safe and easier, what a business!”
He goes on to say, “We built the “pocket money” feature with cashless cards and spent the next year on developing our school payments, school uniforms and school stationery ordering/payment systems with multi merchant stores and am now proud to say that TapTuck is now in over 120 schools and is truly a cashless, multi school merchant, e-commerce platform solving real logistics and safety problems in schools.”
The TapTuck app enables pocket money limits, purchase reports & messages to parents to help their child on this money learning journey. The app offers school tuck shops healthy menu advice and enables parents to make definite healthier choices when they use the platform. It also enables all other merchants on campus / schools to list and deliver products, services safely and conveniently. It is the way forward, offering a safe and secure contactless payment means for schools universally across the country.
In a nutshell, TapTuck is the first complete cashless campus solution that covers everything from the Tuck Shop (in offering healthy meal options), Uniform Shop (even 2nd hand uniforms), school payments, stationery, electronics, market days & events, coaching and even extra lessons.
When asked the details, “what specific tuck shop problems does the TapTuck app solve?” White said: “it beats the queues, can consolidate orders for a 1st and 2nd break meal period providing reporting to merchants to prepare ahead of time, children’s contactless cards are scanned at collection points where they redeem and in turn, notify the parents that lunches have been collected” The ultimate result, providing a significant improvement in customer service and profitability.
White goes on to say “to work the app is super easy for parents.” Users just have to download the free app, register and order a cashless card. A child or multiple siblings' are added, each to their own participating TapTuck School. The parent’s link cashless, contactless cards to each child and are able to set spend limits on these cards. Parents can order lunch (hopefully a healthy one), order uniforms, stationery, pay for events, and more.
White’s core values in running any business that he has been involved with are: collaboration, transparency, and ensuring that customers and suppliers needs and interests are at heart. Always exploring every opportunity that presents itself!
White is incredibly passionate about helping people from businesses to parents and is passionate about technology. “The future doesn’t stop for us, technology is evolving - ever changing” as he continuously seeks out new technologies, and new opportunities in multiple aspects, he added!
Currently, White and his team cover regional and national schools!
The company's vision for the future is to continue growing the number of schools and users, while changing lives. TapTuck is using the app and by 2024 is looking to go global by 2024!
To “tap in” for more information go to https://www.taptuck.co.za
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