Interview: Carlo app creator Antoine Bahri

Antoine Bahri is the brains behind Carlo app, Monaco’s first mobile-based loyalty programme rewarding consumers for buying local – an initiative that couldn’t have come at a better time.

Antoine spoke to Monaco Life about how he and his team were forced to adapt the retail-focussed start-up amid a lockdown, helping local retailers get online, and establishing Monaco’s first digital currency.

Antoine Bahri, co-founder Carlo app

You trained as a pharmacist. When did the world of retail draw you in?

I grew up in the Principality and, after studying abroad, I worked as a manager of my family’s watch store in Monaco for a few years, which gave me the experience and understanding of the needs of retailers. At that time, I realised there was a significant change in consumer behaviour. People were not going to bricks and mortar stores as much as they used to because of big players in e-commerce and large commercial centres opening outside of Monaco, such as Polygone and Cap 3000. We had a meeting with local retailers and I realised we needed to find a solution.

So, I went to Barcelona to do an MBA and I co-founded my first start-up – a payment app for restaurants. The app allowed customers to see a bill in real time, so when they were ready to leave the restaurant they could pay, tip the waiter, even share the bill, without waiting for it to come to the table. It was useful for customers and it helped restaurants increase their turnover of tables by improving the payment process.

It was very successful, but once I completed my MBA, my partners and I agreed to take what we had learned through the development of this app and move on.

By then, I had realised the most important aspect for restaurants was the loyalty programme, and that it was something I could apply to the whole retail sector. So, I came back to Monaco and decided to start another app from scratch.

How did you get the backing you needed in Monaco?

I won the JCEM’s Concours de Création d’Entreprise in 2018, and was awarded €40,000 in financing. It also opened a lot of doors in terms of contacts. We launched the Carlo app in the summer of 2019.

So how does it work?

A customer visits a local retailer and says “I’m a Carlo user”, they scan a QR code at the merchant and they automatically receive 5% in cashback that goes into a virtual wallet. The consumer can accumulate that cashback and spend it in all the participating retail stores. If you think about it, it is like a local currency.

Merchants regularly offer a 10% discount to attract customers or to make them loyal, but this is money that stays in the pocket of the consumer and might never come back to the merchant. So what we do is we take that 10% from the merchant and we re-distribute it. We give 5% to the customer in cashback, we give 2% to the referrer of the customer so we can rely on people to talk about the app, and the 2% remaining is used to finance the company.

But there is still no guarantee the retailer will get that 10% discount back. Is this a challenge for you?

Of course, some retailers tell me they don’t want their 10% to be spent in another store. But today, merchants generally understand that there is a need to build a community among themselves, because they have to play on another field other than the one that e-commerce is playing. E-commerce has so many tools to attract loyal customers, and many merchants are realising – especially after the Covid crisis – that they also need to use tools and novel ways in order to attract customers and even out the playing field.

How did you adapt your business model when the lockdown was imposed in Monaco?

Once the lockdown was applied, most merchants were forced to close their doors, apart from a few. So, we tried to find solutions. The first project we launched was a listing of all the restaurants and businesses that were still open for delivery. Then, we saw that there were many initiatives launched in other cities in Europe that allowed businesses to sell gift cards online, to be used once a business reopens. This way consumers can help local businesses by giving them a revenue stream when they would otherwise have none.

This initiative has received some backing from the Monaco government, can you tell us about that?

The government is backing it by applying an additional incentive of 10%. So, every time a user buys a gift card for €100, for example, they would get a gift card of €110 thanks to the additional support from the government. This support only applies until the end of May, although we are negotiating for this to be extended.

What is your business plan for the future of the Carlo app?

Our goal since the beginning has been to make Carlo, in addition to a loyalty programme, the first mobile payment app for Monaco.

We have already signed a partnership with a French payment processor, so this will allow for the implementation of a payment system within the app and hopefully people will soon be able to use the app to pay at all participating merchants. It is similar to WeChat in China, as it uses a QR code. It is only a matter of time before people no longer use cash or credit cards at retail stores, but use their phones or similar devices to pay. There is no doubt that the future will be cashless.

We are also planning to develop Carlo Market, which is currently selling the gift cards. We will evolve this into a local market place, helping merchants who have now realised the importance of having a presence online. We will allow them to have all their products listed on Carlo Market and purchased online, further building this local marketplace for Monaco.

‘There will be a European summer’

The European Commission has called on Member States to gradually reopen internal borders and kickstart the summer tourism season, where the health situation allows.
The EU Commission on Wednesday presented its set of non-binding recommendations aimed at lifting travel restrictions and border controls throughout the EU, allowing countries to “offer people the chance to get some well-needed rest, relaxation and fresh air.”
“As soon as the health situation allows, people should be able to catch up with friends and family, in their own EU country or across borders, with all the safety and precautionary measures needed in place,” the commission said.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic was declared, most EU countries closed their borders and limited people’s movement to only “essential” travel.
Now, the EU is keen to save what it can of the summer season, supporting businesses and “ensuring that Europe continues to be the number one destination for visitors”.
Travel
The Commission’s Tourism and Transport package includes “a common approach to restoring free movement and lifting restrictions at EU internal borders in a gradual and coordinated way.”
It suggests that this “starts by lifting restrictions between areas or Member States with sufficiently similar epidemiological situations.” So, citizens of countries with similar levels of infections should be able to travel more freely.
With regards to air travel, the EU proposes that airlines do not leave seats empty, but recommends that passengers wear masks on planes and in airports.
The commission also said airlines will need to limit risks of infection, which could be achieved using hospital-grade air filtering, personal protective equipment and limiting movements.
“Mandating the use of empty seats to increase physical distancing in aircraft is therefore not recommended,” the European Commission’s document says.
Checking in, dropping off and picking up luggage should be reorganised to avoid crowds, recommended the commission, while the voluntary use of contact tracing apps “should be considered as an additional layer of risk mitigation”.
Airlines have already been advised by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to check passenger temperatures, collect personal details for any contact tracing and to clean and disinfect terminals and equipment.
Meanwhile, the commission also said on Wednesday it would open legal cases against countries that breach EU law by not ensuring consumers can effectively get cash refunds for travel or holidays cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The starting point here is that European consumers have a right to a cash refund, if that is what they want. Full stop,” Margrethe Vestager, a deputy head of the Commission, said.
To facilitate distancing on trains, the commission recommends frequency and capacity of trains be increased to reduce passenger density, while it says off-peak hour travel should be encouraged with incentives, and doors should be opened at each stop either automatically or remotely by the driver to avoid passengers having to touch door handles or buttons.
Hospitality
The commission says that, in principle, a distance of 1.5 to 2 meters should be applied in the communal areas of an establishment, complemented by other measures such as wearing a mask.
For outdoor areas – beaches, pools, cafés, bars and restaurants – the commission recommends special arrangements be made to allow for physical distancing and special hygiene measures applied.
“Millions of SMEs and family-run businesses working in accommodation, restaurants, passenger transport and travel agencies risk bankruptcies and job losses – they urgently need to go back to work,” said Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton. “We are helping European tourism get back on track while staying healthy and safe. Today we propose a common European approach to managing what will remain a difficult 2020 summer season, while preparing for a more sustainable and digital tourism ecosystem in the future.”
Ultimately, the choice remains up to each EU country on which of these recommendations they apply.
 
Photo: Villefranche-sur-mer
 

Parks reopen in Alpes-Maritimes

If you’ve been gasping to get out and stretch your legs after the long weeks of lockdown, you’re in luck. Nineteen nature parks have reopened to the public in the Alpes-Maritimes and are ready for hikers, walkers and nature lovers alike to enjoy… responsibly.

From 17th March, all of the region’s nature parks were closed due to the health crisis, but the ban was lifted on 12th May for all the parks in Alpes-Maritimes.

As the sun and warmth returns to the region, thoughts of heading off into the great outdoors grow. Couple that with the likely extra girth accumulated during the confinement period, and a bit of exercise sounds just the ticket. But the Departmental Council is reminding park users that this newfound freedom comes with responsibilities.  

“The reopening of departmental natural parks implies that visitors strictly respect the instructions for social distancing (at least 1 metre between people) and respect for barrier gestures. Groupings of more than 10 people will be strictly prohibited,” directs the council.

Other notable restrictions include the fenced areas in the Vaugrenier parks in Villeneuve-Loubet, La Valmasque in the municipalities of Mougins-Valbonne, Estienne d’Orves in Nice, and the Maison de la Nature located in the Grande Corniche park in Eze. For the time being, activities offered in these parks are cancelled until 31st May.

Fitness areas will be accessible, except for those at Cros de Casté park in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. 

The sports routes from La Valmasque to Mougins-Valbonne, Lac du Broc, Grande Corniche, Roquevignon to Grasse, Sinodon to Roquefort-les-Pins, and Vaugrenier to Villeneuve-Loubet parks will be open. All toilets will also be accessible.

Police will be patrolling the areas however, ensuring the rules are enforced.

The list of parks that have been reopened is as follows:  

Parc de la Brague in Antibes, Biot and Valbonne

Cros Casté Park in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin

Parc de la Grande Corniche in La Trinité, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Èze and La Turbie

Estérel Park in Mandelieu-La Napoule and Théoule-sur-Mer

Parc du Lac du Broc au Broc

Estéron park in Roquestéron and La Roque in Provence

Estienne d’Orves Park in Nice

Paradou Park in Vallauris

Plan des Noves Park in Vence

Pointe de l’Aiguille Park in Théoule-sur-Mer

Parc des Rives du Loup in Cagnes-sur-Mer, La Colle-sur-Loup and Villeneuve-Loubet

Parc des Rives du Var in the heart of the Var valley

Roquevignon Park in Grasse

San Peyre Park in Mandelieu-la-Napoule

Sinodon Park, in Roquefort-les-Pins

Ubac Foran Park in Menton

Parc de la Valmasque in Mougins and Valbonne

Vaugrenier Park in Villeneuve-Loubet

Vinaigrier Park in Nice

 

 
Photo: Pixabay
 
 

Digital Solar and Energy Boat Challenge

The Monaco Solar and Energy Boast Challenge has had to change format this year, but it is still going ahead with a virtual version so that key players can share ideas and compete for top prizes.
For the organisers of the Monaco Solar and Energy Boat Challenge, the show must go on! Since 2014, the event has proven to be a breeding ground for new and innovative ideas in the alternative boat propulsion systems world, and a health crisis isn’t going to stop that.
This 7th annual gathering may not be able to get participants and industry leaders together in person, but the first ever virtual competition will be just as effective in getting word out on new products and ideas in a safe way for all.
As Yacht Club of Monaco (YCM) General Secretary Bernard d’Alessandri explains: “Given the situation and to continue supporting the hard work already put in by teams, we felt we had to adapt. With all the uncertainty, we are not able to host a conventional event for the public. Last year, we had over a thousand visitors through the village and 350 participants. We had to find a solution to keep it going without contravening the guidelines.”
Organised by the YCM, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and the International Powerboating Federation, this challenge has focused on zero-emission propulsion. Researchers, engineers, inventors, scholars, and yachting and energy professionals gather to look at new ways to build yachting’s future.
Participants have until 31st May to submit presentations to a technical jury chosen by the event’s organisers, and each team will be invited to introduce their ideas in a pre- scheduled interview between the 30th of June and the 4th of July. Afterwards, the jury will select the best of the best at an awards ceremony.
The three awards presented will be the Innovation Prize, the Eco-conception Prize and the Spirit Prize. The Innovation Prize will be awarded to the team showing “the most advanced improvements of visionary and relevant innovations.” The goal is to be able to endorse systems that can be readily adapted to meet the boating industries’ requirements from both a pricing and production angle.
The Eco-Conception Prize focuses on not only the efficiency, but also to its contribution to science and using good practices.
The Spirit Prize will be given to the team that shows originality in their work through their presentation, the evolutions of the idea and the technical work achieved in creating the project.
The winners of each category will receive a €2,000 cheque.