<ul><li>Online grocery startup Grofers currently has 40% female employees. </li><li>It has 500 women employees across Bengaluru, Gurgaon and Kolkata.</li><li>Grofers claims to have grown by a staggering 800% in 2 years. </li></ul> Indian grocery startup Grofers is breaking the gender silos and the ‘traditional’ job roles defined by gender. It is bringing in women to work at its warehouse and also for delivery. Currently, 40% of its employees are women. “Warehousing was traditionally considered a male dominated industry. However, in modern times and with better support, women employees are gaining strength in warehouses as well. We employed around 500 women employees in <keyword id="8328799" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="grofers-warehouses">Grofers warehouses</keyword> currently in Bengaluru, Gurgaon and Kolkata,” said Ankush Arora, Head, HR, Grofers. The company plans to follow the same trend in Faridabad, Hyderabad and Noida. Grofers also provides safety measures – from cameras at all locations, female security guards, housekeeping, HRs, pick up and drop facility to fixed working hours. Through several training programmes, the female workforce carries out tasks like inventory putaway, inventory audit, order picking and billing, return processing, etc. “These training programmes help women employed to improve their skills and advance further within the field,” said Arora. Grofers is also reaping in the benefits as it has resulted in an increase in efficiency. Its onboarding experience, job training and rewards and recognition also aided this growth. “With our focus on these, we have been able to achieve an overall decrease in absenteeism rate, particularly for a set of female team members-- which has not only increased the process efficiencies and productivity but also enhanced our overall employee engagement score,” said Arora. From reports about it shutting down offices across cities, the company has made a comeback. In the last two years, it claims to have grown by a staggering 800%, and clock in annual revenues of $400 million. In May 2019, the e-grocery startup raised $200 million from Softbank Vision Fund, falling just a few million short in valuation to become a unicorn.

Grofers hires women and improves its employee productivity scores

Softbank-backed <keyword id="2466939" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Grofers">Grofers</keyword> has advanced its plan to launch an initial public offer by the end of next year after its profitability path zoomed during the lockdown period, a top official of the company said. Grofers co-founder and CEO <keyword id="2744778" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Albinder-Dhindsa">Albinder Dhindsa</keyword> told that the company started making operational profit in January and expects to become cash positive by the end of this year. "Our path to profitability has accelerated during the lockdown, and after achieving operational profitability in January, we are on track to become EBITDA and cash positive by the end of this year. We are observing market sentiments and aim to hit the capital market by the end of 2021," Dhindsa said. Earlier the company had plans to go public in 2022. The company closed the financial year with a revenue of around Rs 2,500 crore and the valuation of Grofers is estimated to be close to Rs 6,000 crore. "As an organisation, we have always channelled our efforts towards providing value to our customers. And, we will continue to do so by staying true to our brand promise of low prices through our focus on building an efficient supply chain and technology-driven innovations," Dhindsa said. According to the data shared by the company, Grofers shipped 4.4 crore items last month, with 99.7 per cent accuracy and since the lockdown began. It claims to have served 42 lakh households by the end of May. "Our platform continues to witness high demand and we expect this to stabilize at 30 per cent higher than pre-COVID levels. There has also been a 40 per cent increase in basket size as compared to the pre-COVID era. We are seeing 64 per cent first-time online grocery shoppers and 15 per cent first time online shoppers," Dhindsa said. During the lockdown, Grofers opened three new facilities and two more are in the pipeline at Bhiwadi and Lucknow. "We are looking to add 10-15 facilities before the end of this year. We are helping our manufacturing partners with logistics, working capital, and distribution so that we can maintain constant supplies of goods for our customers. We started reverse picks on our own trucks and procured goods from the warehouses of our FMCG partners," Dhindsa said. Currently, Grofers has 10,000 partner stores to run a fast and lean supply chain from manufacturers straight to consumers. "Over the last two months, we have hired over 3,000 people for our supply chain operations, and plan to hire another 2,000 warehouses and delivery staff in the coming months," Dhindsa said. He said that the company has identified and hired delivery and warehouse personnel from the companies operating in industries deeply impacted by the current crisis such as textiles and car rentals. By Prasoon Srivastava for PTI

Softbank-backed Grofers aims to go for an IPO by 2021, CEO says path to profitability accelerated during lockdown

<ul><li>On the day of the <keyword id="1814675" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Janata-Curfew">Janata curfew</keyword>, from 7 am to 9 pm, everyone stayed home, the roads bore an empty look, with nothing but <keyword id="6835803" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="essential-services">essential services</keyword> plying. </li><li>However, grocery delivery service <keyword id="2466939" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Grofers">Grofers</keyword> faced major issues on the day of Janata curfew.</li><li>Its delivery agents were stopped and arrested which led to a delay of 60,000 orders across the country. </li></ul>On March 22, India observed a Janata curfew, or a self-imposed curfew called for by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. From 7 am to 9 pm, everyone stayed home, the roads bore an empty look, with only essential services set to be available to stall the spread of <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword>. However, grocery delivery service Grofers faced major issues on the day. Its delivery agents were stopped and arrested which led to a delay of 60,000 orders across the country. “As per the directive of the central government, we at Grofers continued to provide essential goods to customers across the country on the day of Janta Curfew. State Government and local administration are advised to exempt e-commerce operations (warehousing and logistics facilities and services), wholesaler, their vendors and third party delivery partners who are a part of the supply and logistics chain ecosystem, from any type of prohibitory orders etc,” said Albinder Dhindsa, co-founder &amp; CEO, Grofers. While a lockdown has been issued, only essential services will be open. E-commerce is listed under the essential services category which meant that delivery agents from Amazon, Flipkart, Zomato, Swiggy, Bigbasket, Grofers and others would be able to continue with work. In spite of this, Grofers says it faced major issues. “Due to some confusion regarding the services exempted, many of our delivery riders were stopped and arrested which led to a delay in the delivery of almost 60,000 orders countrywide. This does not only affect the morale of the delivery staff who are working selflessly to support people but is also causing inconvenience to many customers who are relying highly on our services,” said Dhindsa. He also added that in a few states including Maharashtra, they are also being forced to shut down their warehouses. “Our teams are working relentlessly to support people and we are abiding by the rules and ensuring the maintenance of proper hygiene and sanitation in our facilities and vehicles,” Dhindsa said while appealing the government to further clear the air around the issue. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/coronavirus-lockdown-in-india-list-of-essential-services-during-a-lockdown/articleshow/74761160.cms">Coronavirus lockdown in India: List of essential services operational during a lockdown</a>

Grofers says its delivery agents were arrested during Janata curfew, led to a delay of 60,000 orders

<ul><li>Indian e-commerce companies raised concerns about their delivery agents being stopped by the police during <keyword id="91743" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="lockdown">lockdown</keyword>. Some have even been arrested.</li><li>Under directives issued by the government, e-commerce comes under the essential services umbrella. </li><li>It means that delivery agents from <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>, <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>, <keyword id="830092" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zomato">Zomato</keyword>, Swiggy, Bigbasket, Grofers and others should be able to continue with work. </li></ul>Since March 22, India has been in a lockdown to contain the spread of <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword>. While offices, malls are shut, ‘essential services’ like grocery stores, pharmacies are allowed to stay open. In a relief for the Indian e-commerce sector, online retail too fell under the essential services category. However, the relief was been short-lived. Delivery agents from Amazon, Flipkart, Zomato, Grofers, Milkbasket and others were stopped by the police on the roads. Some have also been arrested. On Janata <keyword id="23410" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Curfew">curfew</keyword> (March 22), Grofers said that its delivery agents were stopped and arrested by the police across the country, leading to a delay of over 60,000 orders. Another <keyword id="2709620" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="grocery-delivery">grocery delivery</keyword> startup Milkbasket said that its staff, vendors and vehicles are being pushed back from the roads by local police, disrupting our operations. “We are being told to shut down our distribution centers. Yesterday we had to cancel thousands of orders. We could only operate at 40% capacity in Gurgaon. Even lower in Noida. We might have to cancel all the orders today, impacting over 150,000 families across 4 cities,” said the company’s official statement. Even their warehouses are being asked to shut down. But they aren’t alone. E-commerce behemoths Amazon and Flipkart are facing similar issues. “We are working with the local authorities to enable us to perform these important services providing safety for our delivery associates and allowing them to make sure those priority goods can arrive safely at our customers’ homes without any disruption,” an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider. While they intend to move ahead with uninterrupted services during the testing times, they are also working with local authorities to work on the issues. “There are operational issues on-ground which impact our ability to seamlessly service the communities as they stay indoors. We are working with the central and state government as an industry to solve these challenges,” a Flipkart spokesperson told Business Insider. A Zomato spokesperson told Business Insider that these are unprecedented times. “The government has provided strong guidance which we are adhering by and trying our best to execute on the ground. Coordinating with multiple local authorities is challenging however, we are hoping to iron this out soon,” said the spokesperson As people stay at home, they are relying more and more on online deliveries. But if these issues continue to rise, it could lead to the delay and cancellation of thousands of orders from across the country. Perhaps, having a uniform for delivery agents could be the answer, but one of the e-commerce giants told Business Insider that most of the companies already have an uniform and it hasn’t helped. All the e-commerce companies are appealing to the government to sort out problems for seamless deliveries of essential supplies. “A suggestion would be to issue access permits / ID cards to staff engaged in essential services such as grocery delivery, medicines, food delivery, and others,” suggested Milkbasket. As many states move from lockdown to curfews, the agents will have to be issued curfew passes which is another roadblock that e-commerce companies have to overcome. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/grofers-says-its-delivery-agents-were-arrested-during-janata-curfew-led-to-a-delay-of-60000-orders/articleshow/74766803.cms">Grofers says its delivery agents were arrested during Janata curfew, led to a delay of 60,000 orders</a>

Amazon, Flipkart, Zomato fall under ‘essential services’ but their delivery agents are being stopped by the police

<ul><li>After the government in states like Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Delhi instructed schools, colleges and malls to remain shut till March 31, <keyword id="1640900" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Online-grocery">online grocery</keyword> stores like <keyword id="2466939" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Grofers">Grofers</keyword>, <keyword id="964794" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BigBasket">BigBasket</keyword> and Supr Daily have seen an upsurge in orders for essentials. </li><li>Online grocery delivery majors have seen an increasing demand for products such as sanitisers, masks, atta &amp; dal, fruits, and vegetables.</li><li>Platforms are also advising customers to avoid using cash, which can be a source of transmitting the virus between individuals. </li></ul>As the number of people infected by Covid-19 keeps increasing with each passing day, there has been an increase in the demand of orders from online grocery stores in the past few days. The government in states like Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Delhi have instructed schools, colleges and malls to remain shut till March 31. The government is also advising social distancing, with a lot of organisations asking its employees to work from home. The closure of malls, and with it, a lot of supermarkets, has led to a direct increase in the order of staples online. Much like the US and UK, that witnessed a huge surge in online orders for essentials, in India too, a lot of online marketplaces like BigBasket, Future Group and Grofers are witnessing an increase in demand, with most people ordering for staples. Supr Daily, that delivers daily essentials like milk, bread, fruits and vegetables, told its customers that it will deliver till 9 a.m. instead of the usual 7 a.m. due to increased demand. In the past few days, BigBasket has witnessed a 2X increase in its traffic and its revenue. BigBasket said in a statement that they are witnessing a 15-20% increase in the basket value. Increased demand has been for essentials such as staples, atta &amp; dal, fruits, and vegetables. However, it said that it is in control of the supplies, given that a predominant share is from its private label products. The platform is currently not facing any shortage for FMCG branded products except in the case of sanitisers. In the last 30 days, as per Google Trends, there has been a rise in web search for sanitisers. 
 <div type="image" title="web search saniti" msid="74657409" hostid="261"></div>



 A spokesperson from the Future Group that owns Big Bazaar and Easyday reported a similar increase in their online orders. "We have seen an upswing in the demand for daily essentials from our customers in certain geographies. We are making sure that we are managing our stocks and supply chain in a way that meets all our customer needs. We are also following and complying with various government/local body directives related to store operations.” While there were a lot of instances of hoarding in the US and UK with a lot of essentials being sold out quickly, most of these platforms haven’t witnessed hoarding yet. BigBasket said, “We are not witnessing hoarding behavior thus far. To our customers, our stance will be not to panic and buy more than what they need. We will gear up for the increased demand and availability of products will not be an issue.” In a note on its website, Grofers asked its consumers to avoid hoarding. “Buy what you need and maybe add some cushioning on top as we will keep working hard to keep items in stock and reasonably priced for all our customers. Excessive buying or multiple orders to bypass inventory limit can lead to order cancellation,” its blog read. Grofers has disinfected its warehouses and is sanitising on a daily basis to keep the inventory virus free. Telling us more about the spike in their business and safety precautions, Albinder Dhindsa, Co-Founder &amp; CEO, Grofers, said, “Over the last couple of days, we have seen customers buying items on our platform in large quantities across cities as well as categories. Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad have seen a higher surge with nearly 80% growth followed by Delhi NCR and Hyderabad at a 60% spike in business. We have seen a rise in both the number of orders (45%) as well as order value (18%). Personal hygiene products, followed by floor cleaners have seen a surge in demand along with immunity-boosting products such as chyawanprash and honey. Essential items such as atta, dal and rice are also being bought in large quantities by our customers." Grofers has suspended travel between locations and offices, so each of its 20+ units across the country can stay isolated and clear of the virus. Its supplies are now passing through separate areas, manned by different personnel than those that work in crowds in store. The crates are also being washed and disinfected after every usage. However, a lot of delivery partners are hesitant to come to work. With higher demand and lack of resources, there is a delay in delivery. It is currently 3 days in Delhi and less than 2 days in most other cities. In such a scenario, it is advisable to plan your groceries in advance and avoid dealing in cash as it can be a possible source of transmitting the virus. A spokesperson from Big Basket said that they are working to expedite their product deliveries. “We will face some constraints for a few more days because it takes time to build capacity in terms of storage, delivery fleet and people. Our teams are working hard to streamline this and we will be back on track very soon.” Some platforms have been kind enough to provide essentials at a price lower than its usual market rate. For example, Grofers is selling N95 face masks at Rs 90, when the general market prices are in the range of Rs 450-500.

As malls shut down, online grocery stores in India see a surge in demand

New Delhi, Mar 22 () Online grocery platform Grofers said many of its delivery persons were stopped and arrested on Sunday even as e-commerce firms were to be exempted during 'Janta Curfew' announced to combat the spread on coronavirus in the country. The company said these developments had led to a delay in the delivery of almost 20,000 orders countrywide. Albinder Dhindsa, co-founder and the CEO of Grofers, said as per the directive of the central government, the company continued to provide essential goods to customers across the country on the day of Janta Curfew. "State Government and local administration are advised to exempt e-commerce operations (warehousing &amp; logistics facilities and services), wholesaler, their vendors &amp; third party delivery partners who are a part of the supply and logistics chain ecosystem, from any type of prohibitory orders etc," he added. Dhindsa said that "due to some confusion regarding the services exempted", many of its delivery riders were stopped and arrested that led to a delay in the delivery of almost 20,000 orders countrywide. "This does not only affect the morale of the delivery staff who are working selflessly to support people but is also causing inconvenience to many customers who are relying highly on our services," he said. Dhindsa noted that in a few states including Maharashtra, Grofers is also facing forced shut down of warehouses. "Our teams are working relentlessly to support people and managing deliveries to avoid any kind of panic among consumers and we request authorities to take measures to ensure that the process of essential items delivery remains smooth," he added. Dhindsa said the company is abiding by the rules and ensuring the maintenance of proper hygiene and sanitation in its facilities and vehicles. SR MRMR

Grofers says stoppage, arrest of riders during Janta Curfew delay order delivery

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/54049792.cms" /> Believe it or not, <keyword id="1640900" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Online-grocery">online grocery</keyword> shopping is a fad. In a country where department stores are still booming and people working with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">MNC</a>s considering grocery shopping as their dose of weekend fun, online grocery isn’t something that Indians are really very serious about, unlike cab aggregators and movie ticket booking apps. 
 
Indians are jugaad-friendly. In a market crowded with <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">online grocery apps</a>, people tend to download apps, get their first order at maximum discount by using coupons and then simply uninstall the app from the device. They would install other apps for their next use. Unlike cab aggregation, app based grocery shopping is never a necessity to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">urban Indians</a>. In each lane and bylane of any Indian city and suburb there is a grocery store selling the basic needs of bread, rice, pulses, milk and eggs. 
 
The online boom of grocery shopping started in the US some 15 years back and faded out by early 2000. One of the giants in the market Webvan that started in San Francisco met the same fate as their expenses got out of limit. 
 In last few months, there have been numerous deaths of online grocery providers. <keyword id="2809732" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="PepperTap">Peppertap</keyword> that raised USD 51 Million shut down after one and a half year of operation citing similar reason. 
 
Prem Kumar, Founder and CEO, SnapBizz has a point to make. “The consumer behaviour in the grocery online space is fairly different from other consumer goods spaces. The driving forces are merchandise and convenience, while the pillars are technology, merchandise and fulfilment.” 
 
“Since the grocery industry runs on a tight value chain, establishing unit metrics and profitability becomes a challenge,” Kumar said. 
There are two basic models in online grocery- a full service model and hyper local model. Full service models are the ones where they control the end to end value chain and deliver a good customer experience. The hyper local model depends on getting goods from local retailer and delivering it. The unit metrics does not stack up in this model. 
 
“The retailer has to pay 5 to 6%, when he hardly makes 8 to 10 % margin. In spite of doing this, the online grocers do not deliver the same customer experience as delivered by the retailer. Hence, the business model may look attractive in the beginning, but unable to sustain and fold,” Kumar added. 
 
We analyse what could have gone wrong with the online grocery start ups and here are the probable reasons. 
 
Marketing siphons a lot of money <keyword id="2057213" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Big-Basket">Big Basket</keyword> has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">Shah Rukh Khan</a> as the brand ambassador. Then other online grocery brands like <keyword id="2466939" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Grofers">Grofers</keyword> and ZopNow invest heavily on marketing, right from digital advertisements to billboards. This is again a hug expense. Firstly marginal profit and then monstrous expenses take a toll on the profit. 
 
Many retailers walk with the cherry of the cake 
Well, if Grofers or Big Basket is giving some benefit to the end consumers, often the small retailers start ordering milk, bread and cold drinks as these are the products where they make nominal profit. So as a result, the retailers re-re-selling the products. 
 
Marginal profits 
It’s a known fact in India that groceries aren’t profitable like gadgets. Selling 5 kg of sugar may give the retailer Rs 100 profit. It’s that tough. And then delivering the product at doorstep would result in more expenses. Before shutting down Peppertap, CEO Navneet Singh admitted that they were operating in negative margins per delivery, confirms a report by business website. 
 
Users look for better offers 
Many users tend to buy through apps only when they get <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">discounts</a>. This isn’t something that the buyers are to be blamed for. Indian market has always been price sensitive and this ought to happen. 
 
Price sensitivity 
Indian consumers are quite money minded and sensitive to prices. It’s not they are misers but they love savings, When you buy at department stores you get to scrutinize various brands, quality and of course the prices. But online grocers don’t give the user the luxury to select. 
 
Inventory mismanagement 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/54049797.cms" /> 
 
While Big Basket is spending a lot in inventory and Grofers is letting you choose stores. Having an inventory is always the best option provided you have that much cash in hand. What happens when a customer refuses orders? Sellers aren’t taking it back. If you have an inventory and if the item isn’t perishable, you can still keep it in stock for next order. 
 
Last mile glitch 
The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/government-defines-the-word-start-up/articleshow/51089062.cms">warehouse</a> is super responsive and the pick up is superfast, but then the delivery guys slip and the whole smoothness are hampered. Generally the delivery guys get Rs 300 per day for working from 9 in the morning till 10 at night. No work results in no pay. You don’t really expect a 10 inch wide smile at 9PM carrying your 10 Kg of monthly grocery item. 
 
Moreover unlike Gurgaon, Greater Noida where the real estate boom has given rise to skyscrapers, it’s not everywhere in India where an address is easy to locate and deliver. Naturally the delivery get delayed. 
 
Arsh Singh, COO at Tookan suggests that routing optimization, real-time tracking, keeping customer notified make the grocery delivery management a lot better.

The truth behind why online grocery start ups are failing

When it comes to <keyword id="20667396" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="experimentation" source="keywords">experimentation</keyword>, <keyword id="20299302" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="food-delivery" source="keywords">food delivery</keyword> giant <keyword id="19901323" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zomato" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Zomato" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Zomato">Zomato</keyword> has often been at the forefront. Be it engaging in a banter with other brands online or attempting to deliver food from the skies, the Gurugram-based company has never shied away from trying out new things. Recently, Zomato introduced the feature to let users schedule their food orders up to two days in advance. Founder and<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/zomato-will-absorb-around-280-paytm-employees-ceo-deepinder-goyal-says/articleshow/112738459.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank"> CEO Deepinder Goyal </a>announced the rollout of this feature across major cities including Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Lucknow, and Jaipur. The new scheduling option aims to provide greater convenience for users, allowing them to plan their meals ahead of time. The feature is making headlines and is expected to solve people’s woes of not getting their food orders on time. But this isn’t the first time that Zomato has taken on an experiment to try and solve a larger problem. In the past, there have been many instances where the food-delivery giant tried something unheard of. Let us take a look at some of these instances here. <h2>1. Intercity Legends: A culinary journey</h2> In an ambitious attempt to bring the diverse flavours of India to users’ doorstep, Zomato launched the 'Intercity Legends' feature. This initiative allowed users to order iconic dishes from different cities across the country, connecting food enthusiasts with renowned local cuisines without leaving their homes. The service aimed to satisfy a growing appetite for unique food experiences and explore regional delicacies from places like Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Despite its initial success, 'Intercity Legends' faced challenges in finding a sustainable market fit. After a period of operation, the service was suspended in April and briefly relaunched with a revised model focusing on pre-stocked items. Unfortunately, Zomato decided to shut it down entirely recently due to lack of demand and operational hurdles. In a candid update, CEO <keyword id="19901325" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="deepinder-goyal" source="keywords">Deepinder Goyal</keyword> acknowledged the closure, stating, "After two years of trying, not finding product market fit, we have decided to shut down the service with immediate effect." This move came just a day after Zomato announced its entry into the entertainment ticketing sector with the acquisition of <keyword id="19898109" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Paytm" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Paytm" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Paytm">Paytm</keyword>'s movie and events ticketing business for Rs 2,034 crore. <h2>2. Hyperpure: Playing a more important role</h2> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/zomato-earned-rs-83-crore-from-platform-fee-what-it-is-how-it-benefits-the-company-and-how-it-affects-you/articleshow/112313589.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Zomato’s</a> foray into the B2B space with Hyperpure marked a significant shift from being just a food delivery platform to becoming a vital player in the food supply chain. Launched in 2019, Hyperpure aims to provide restaurants with fresh, high-quality ingredients, ensuring a seamless supply chain from farm to table. Hyperpure stands out for its commitment to quality assurance, working directly with farmers and producers to source ingredients free from contaminants. The initiative operates through a network of warehouses and logistics centres, allowing Zomato to maintain control over the entire supply chain. Additionally, Hyperpure emphasises sustainability by promoting eco-friendly packaging and encouraging sustainable farming practices. Leveraging its technological prowess, Zomato employs data analytics and AI to optimise inventory and predict demand, reducing wastage and ensuring timely deliveries. Starting in Bengaluru, Hyperpure has expanded to multiple cities, helping restaurants improve their food quality and operational efficiency. <h2>3. <keyword id="20069203" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Blinkit" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Blinkit" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Blinkit">Blinkit</keyword> acquisition: Expanding into quick commerce</h2> In a strategic move to diversify its offerings, Zomato acquired Blinkit (formerly Grofers) in 2022. Blinkit, a startup known for its 10-minute grocery delivery service, allowed Zomato to enter the burgeoning quick commerce market. The acquisition was part of Zomato’s broader strategy to expand beyond food delivery and capture a significant share of the grocery and convenience sector. Today, Blinkit has evolved from a grocery app into a comprehensive platform offering everything from electronics and stationery to skincare products. This acquisition has proven to be a valuable asset, aligning with Zomato’s vision of providing a one-stop solution for various consumer needs. <h2>4. Food delivery via drones: Aiming for the skies</h2> One of Zomato’s most ambitious experiments involved drone delivery. In 2018, the company acquired the Lucknow-based aerospace company TechEagle to advance its drone delivery capabilities. CEO Deepinder Goyal had said at the time that drones are essential to reducing delivery times from 30.5 minutes to 15 minutes, as road transport is inefficient for fast delivery. Then in 2019, the company made headlines for successfully testing a hybrid drone that carried a 5 kg payload over a distance of 5 km in just 10 minutes. During the test, the drone reached a top speed of 80 km/h. The delivery was a non-commercial trial. However, in 2020, Zomato parted ways with TechEagle and reports said that the separation was amicable. During the same year, Zomato also received permission from the DGCA to begin testing drone delivery but not much has happened on that front. <h2>5. Infinity dining: Unlimited food and drinks</h2> The Infinity Dining feature was another bold experiment by Zomato designed to enhance dining experiences for its Gold members. Launched in three cities, this feature offered unlimited food and drinks at select partner restaurants for a fixed price. The initiative aimed to encourage more people to dine out and enjoy a unique value-driven experience. However, the feature faced backlash from partner restaurants, which protested against the deep discounts and operational issues it created. In response to the feedback, Zomato decided to pause Infinity Dining in 2019. A company spokesperson mentioned at the time, "We received a range of feedback about Infinity Dining, and have paused it as we would incorporate the feedback." Zomato’s journey shows its willingness to embrace experimentation and innovation. From intercity food deliveries to trying to play a role in restaurant supply chains and more, the company has continually sought to push the boundaries of what’s possible. While not every experiment has been successful, Zomato’s pursuit of new ideas and solutions shows its commitment to shaping the future of food and dining.

Scheduled food orders to using drones: Zomato experiments that made headlines

New Delhi, Mar 31 () E-commerce companies like Amazon and Grofers are gradually resuming services across various cities they operate in, but it will take at least a week or so to clear the pending orders, according to industry executives. E-commerce companies have been struggling to deliver orders after the government ordered 21-day lockdown, to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus, came into effect. Even though the government allowed delivery of essential goods including food, pharmaceuticals and medical equipment through e-commerce, players have complained of their delivery staff being hassled by police. With local authorities shutting down warehouses and stopping trucks from crossing state borders, e-commerce players have seen their operations getting disrupted. Paytm Mall said there were over 1 lakh orders placed by customers which were yet to be processed by sellers due to the restrictions announced by the government. The company has now waived off order delay and cancellation penalties (charged at 3-7 per cent) for merchants until April 22. "These are unprecedented circumstances and Paytm Mall's merchant support and communication teams are working hard to ensure all seller queries are resolved timely and updated information regarding order processing and fulfillment are shared with them regularly," Paytm Mall Senior Vice President Srinivas Mothey said. Grofers, in a tweet, said it has a backlog of 5 lakh orders and it will be a few more days for the company to get back to 100 per cent operational capacity. Another challenge facing the industry is the availability of limited staff for warehouses and logistics. "Due to the lockdown, our delivery partners had also gone home for a few days. We are now requesting them to come back with us...We are also trying to scale up our operations by working with delivery partners from other companies who have come forward to help us," Grofers said. The company said it is working with local authorities to get passes for its staff that will allow them to continue operations and make deliveries. Snapdeal said it continues to accept orders for non-essential items, but they are expected to be delivered only by the end of April as per current estimates. "Our delivery partners are facing acute shortage of delivery agents. A lot of goods were stuck in transit (trucks, rail etc) and these are now starting to reach warehouses. We expect the warehouses to reach full capacity and overflow soon since a large number of customer orders are undelivered at this point," the company added. For large players like Amazon India too, it has been a difficult time. The company has resumed deliveries in select cities, and is working on first serving existing orders and for essential products that have been purchased using prepaid methods. To help e-commerce companies process the spurt in orders, fintech companies like Razorpay are also working overtime to ensure systems are in place. Harshil Mathur, CEO and co-founder of Razorpay said online businesses in the essentials category are struggling to keep up with demand and ensure business continuity. "We want to do our bit by helping them adapt and be flexible to meet these changing needs. We have now launched same-day settlements for all Razorpay customers who provide essential businesses till April 15, which means businesses will receive funds in just a few hours instead of the usual 3-5 working days settlement period," he said. This will help businesses improve their cash flows and manage operational expenses better, Mathur added. SR RVK

COVID-19: E-commerce cos resuming ops, clearing order backlog could take at least a week

<ul><li>Twitter was flooded with complaints about <keyword id="964794" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BigBasket">BigBasket</keyword>, Grofers and other delivery apps about delayed deliveries, lack of available slots and delayed refunds.</li><li>BigBasket CEO <keyword id="6379851" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="hari-menon">Hari Menon</keyword> took to Twitter to explain why finding slots on the app is difficult right now.</li><li>All refunds will also be processed in the next 2-3 days, he said.</li></ul>With the coronavirus lockdown, Indians are stuck inside their homes and are looking to get essentials delivered at their doorstep through ‘contactless delivery’. But as they turn to apps like BigBasket, there is growing frustration as delivery slots are unavailable. “I keep waiting for the slot to be available and order within seconds. If you don’t do this, the slot is gone,” said an IT professional in Hyderabad. Twitter too has been flooded with complaints about BigBasket, Grofers and other delivery apps about delayed deliveries, lack of available slots and delayed refunds. BigBasket CEO Hari Menon took to Twitter to explain why finding slots on the app is difficult right now. Menon said that they plan for demand three months in advance including setting up of warehouses, procuring racks, picking devices, crates, hiring people, delivery vans etc. <div type="twitter" handle="harimenon_bb" handlename="Hari Menon" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1243987352654983168/NSLjaE8F_normal.jpg" favoritecount="419" retweetcount="153" status="Over the last few weeks you may have found it hard to find slots on bigbasket (hopefully you're finding it better o… https://t.co/1SWvqk2RbL" createdat="1587407126000" id="1252302372207902720"></div> However, BigBasket had one major issue as the demand went through the roof – its workforce returned to their villages right before the lockdown. “That was something we didn't anticipate, and which meant we couldn't pick orders and deliver them in sufficient numbers to satisfy the 3-6 fold increase in demand,” Menon wrote on Twitter. So, BigBasket thought quickly and turned to look for options and ways to deliver faster and quicker. It partnered with ride hailing app Uber to deliver groceries. The startup also acquired Bengaluru-based milk delivery app DailyNinja for a <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/start-ups/bigbasket-acquires-bengaluru-based-milk-delivery-app-11585043760435.html">reported</a> $15-$20 million. Menon said that they are also hiring. “We've been trying to recruit warehouse staff and delivery executives in all cities. However, recruitment and training do tend to take time; also, a lot of the people who applied for jobs were only willing to join after the lockdown. Fortunately, things have improved now, and should get better in the next few weeks,” he wrote. The startup worked on multiple product changes and to bring in transparency they also started showing the number of orders per day on the app. They are also working on refunds, while he added that the volumes are very high right now. “When the lockdown hit and a large chunk of our manpower left for their hometown, we started with delivering 30,000 orders. Today we deliver 2.83 lakh orders and are growing. However, sadly, the expectation is 3-6 times this number,” said Menon. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/you-wont-be-able-to-order-non-essential-items-on-amazon-flipkart-and-others-till-lockdown-is-lifted/articleshow/75230373.cms">Amazon, Flipkart cannot deliver non-essential items like mobile phones, TVs during lockdown</a>

BigBasket CEO explains why is it difficult to get slots for grocery delivery

<ul><li><keyword id="3275685" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dunzo" source="Orion">Dunzo</keyword> has recently launched a 360 degree campaign to promote its new offering <keyword id="11947433" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dunzo-daily" source="Orion">Dunzo Daily</keyword> that it has launched in <keyword id="6355033" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bangalore" source="Orion">Bangalore</keyword>.</li><li>We speak to <keyword id="653988" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sai-ganesh" source="Orion">Sai Ganesh</keyword>, Head - Brand at Dunzo who tells us about the new offering and the campaign and tells us about their marketing journey so far.</li></ul>The quick commerce segment is heating up with more and more platforms battling it out to make life more convenient for its consumers. In the past few months, we have seen platforms like Grofers, Swiggy and Dunzo try to race each other into delivering groceries to you first. Meanwhile, what might make one platform win over the other is how they choose to communicate with their consumers. Dunzo, that launched Dunzo Daily in nine areas of Bengaluru in July launched with the promise of delivering products to your doorsteps within 15 minutes. It now has a fool-proof plan to make itself heard. Last week, we saw Dunzo launch a film, the first in a series, featuring actor <keyword id="9271" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sunny-deol" source="Orion">Sunny Deol</keyword>. And to make sure that its message reaches its target audiences, the platform has come up with a 360 degree campaign to make the right kind of noise. The campaign “This is a repositioning exercise for Dunzo which has primarily been known for its quick pick-up and drop service for all categories. But now we're trying to focus on positioning Dunzo as the best delivery service to get your groceries fresh and fast. And since it's primarily a Bangalore campaign to begin with, we're looking to scale operations in Bangalore. It’s a city that has multiple user personas, there’s the native audience who have lived here for the longest period of time and then there are people who have moved into the city from other parts of the country for work. Our campaign is aimed at addressing all the different user personas,” said Sai Ganesh, Head - Brand at Dunzo. <div type="Youtube" id="Vx0m1zgZqbM" title="Dunzo Daily Campaign | Tareekh Pe Tareekh" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Vx0m1zgZqbM/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The campaign, which will feature a host of stars from both Hindi and Kannada movies, is aimed at highlighting the hassle of ordering groceries and how Dunzo will solve the problem for its users. In the past few months, we have also observed new-age players making use of nostalgia to reach out to consumers. So is Dunzo worried the new campaign will be compared to CRED’s IPL ads? “Not at all. We started working on this campaign last year, even before CRED’s second phase of campaign. I think the campaigns look similar because both the teams at CRED and Dunzo are largely digital-natives. We understand what works on Instagram, Twitter and the social media. We don't think TV commercials or Outdoor creatives first. Doing unexpected things on social media has a huge payoff and that's the reason why there's a similar train of thought between the two and that's just because we know what works on social media,” he explained. The growth of Dunzo Daily Since July, Dunzo Daily has been witnessing around 25% growth week on week. To fulfill its promise of delivery in 19 minutes, Dunzo is leveraging mini-warehouses strategically located across each neighborhood in the city. But then, a few other players in the segment are also speeding up their delivery game, so how will Dunzo make sure consumers choose them over their competitors, and what role will communication play there? “Our content speaks for itself. The kind of content we've created and the mediums we’re using help us stand out. We also have an audio signature tune now. And this sonic identity will be a part of the product. On the app, when the delivery partner leaves the store or is at your doorstep, you will get a notification. We're trying to differentiate the brand at every touch-point possible and marketing is not going to be left behind as well,” added Ganesh. For Dunzo, the plan for now is to grow Dunzo Daily to 4X in Bangalore, to provide a superior experience, set up more stores so that the delivery time gets further reduced. Once the model gets proven in Bangalore, the platform will take it to other cities. Dunzo’s marketing game Dunzo had been launched back in 2015 as a <keyword id="790242" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="whatsapp" source="Orion">WhatsApp</keyword> group where CEO Kabeer Biswas would himself get things delivered to people on the group. Within four months, the initiative blew up on Whatsapp and Biswas had close to 10,000 users, without spending any money on advertising. For a long time, the growth Dunzo witnessed was solely owing to word-of-mouth. However, as the team started scaling up, Dunzo focused on building an in-house brands team. Today Dunzo does all its creative work in-house. On what has worked in their favor from a marketing perspective, Ganesh said, “We haven't hired an agency, everything is done in-house. Building this team of digital-natives who are so good at everything they do, has been a very important part of our journey. An interesting thing about our social media journey is, people organically used to say good things about Dunzo and our delivery partners and we decided to use this tactic where we would incentivize people to say good things about Dunzo, which is pretty much what our Twitter game is. If you say something good about us, we make a wordplay on your name and that is something our consumers look forward to.” Dunzo is also one of the players on social media that has aced moment marketing and its take on topical events usually keeps it in the news too, which has helped them build their brand narrative too. “Over the last few years, we have been able to leverage moment marketing well, to the extent that someone was telling me that advertising agencies don’t like Dunzo because they get our creatives sent to them by their clients who ask them to come up with similar creatives. It’s a big compliment for us. We have become the leaders of moment marketingand that is creating a real pull for the brand,” said Ganesh. Watch the full interview here: <div type="Video" msid="85626102" hostid="261" title="Dunzo has launched a new campaign featuring Sunny Deol to promote its offering Dunzo Daily" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=85626102"></div>

A lot of advertising agencies don’t like Dunzo because their clients send them our creatives asking them to do something similar: Sai Ganesh, Dunzo

New Delhi, May 26 () Billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries has launched an online extension of its grocery business under JioMart brand across 200 cities. The service is being offered in all leading metros (Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata), and even in smaller towns like Mysuru, Bhatinda and Dehradun. JioMart is now delivering in more than 200 cities, Damodar Mall, the chief executive officer of Reliance Retail's grocery business said in a tweet. JioMart last month started a pilot project serving users in three neighbourhoods surrounding Mumbai. Credit Suisse said, "The national roll-out provides customers with a useful alternative to existing players (BigBasket, Grofers) as online grocery orders have spiked, given the fewer store visits". D-Mart, it said, mentioned that April revenues are down 45 per cent year-on-year as nearly 50 per cent of the stores are shut or have very restricted hours of operation. Therefore, online orders should help offset some of the lower sales in physical stores. CLSA said as of now, the website will only use Reliance's offline grocery supply chain as its backbone and deliver to homes. "Success at its ongoing beta tests in Navi Mumbai, which also encompasses mom and pop stores and uses WhatsApp as a platform to order, will be later extended to pan-India," it said. Users can order from a full suite of grocery items by visiting the JioMart website. Products include fruits and vegetables, dairy and baked goods, staples, snacks and branded foods, beverages, and personal and home care. Reliance's private labels also featured prominently. "While it does not commit on a delivery timeline when ordering (due to the lockdown), it aims to deliver orders within a two-day timeframe," CLSA said. Eventually, like other online retailers, it is possible that Reliance integrates its entire retail offerings, including fashion, lifestyle and consumer electronics, onto one super e-commerce platform and mobile app. "This, along with a pan-India extension of partnerships with mom &amp; pop stores after a successful beta test and ramp-up of this new commerce venture is crucial in Reliance's grand plan of converting Jio's 400 million-plus subscribers into customers for its eCommerce and other offerings," CLSA said. Recent partnerships with Facebook-owned WhatsApp for JioMart will only help in increasing monetisation opportunities by increasing the convenience and reach of consumers. The grocery platform was previously piloting deliveries only in select areas of Mumbai. "JioMart has seen a 4x rise in online orders from a low base. With its pan India presence JioMart now directly competes with Amazon and Flipkart in eCommerce," Bernstein said in a separate report. Grocery is 70 per cent of the Indian retail market, 90 per cent-plus unorganised, driven by Kirana stores/small retailers. "Organised penetration is less than 10 per cent while online penetration for grocery is less than 1 per cent," it said. Facebook has made a bigger push into e-commerce with the launch of Shops. "The idea is to bring millions of small businesses online. This will allow free online storefronts for small businesses and retailers and expand Facebook presence across Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger," Bernstein said. "Facebook shops will be complimentary to WhatsApp business use to sign and onboard Kirana stores for JioMart (grocery app of Reliance Retail)." Credit Suisse said JioMart currently fulfills the order by own entity and kiranas likely to be on-boarded subsequently. "The platform lists all the major grocery categories like fruits and vegetables, staples, dairy and bakery, snacks, beverages, personal care, home care and baby care. "In terms of pricing, Reliance has extended the Smart promise of 'minimum 5 per cent off on MRP' to all products on JioMart. The discount is higher on its private label brands, and is competitive to branded products," it said. Reliance Retail had been piloting the initiative in Navi Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan among select population group. It was serving these customers through both Kirana stores and their own warehouses. It also set up Smart Points, which were acting as delivery points in neighbourhood. However, orders post the national launch are being serviced by Reliance Smart and Fresh stores, Sahakari Bhandar stores (owned by Reliance retail), and is not yet fully leveraging kirana network (as on-boarding of Kirana stores is still ongoing), Credit Suisse said. "Just prior to the national launch, Reliance Retail tapped the WhatsApp customer base in the three pilot regions to source orders. In our view, it was just a test phase of integration. The orders were available only for pick-up from nearby Kirana store, whose details were sent to the customer via WhatsApp. However, the national launch, so far, does not have integration with WhatsApp," it said. The brokerage said it placed an order on JioMart but the delivered order value was 55 per cent of the booked order value, due to inventory limitation in the nearby Sahakari Bhandar store. ANZ BAL

Reliance launches JioMart across 200 cities; analysts say co eyeing spike in online grocery orders

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50024547.cms" /><keyword id="964794" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BigBasket">BigBasket</keyword>, one of the country's second-most valuable ecommerce firm focused on a specific segment, is all set to get a funding of around Rs 800 crore, or $ 120-million. 
 
Online grocer BigBasket is going to get funding from US-based Sands Capital, International Finance Corporation and Bessemer Venture Partners. 
 
Reportedly, the deal is going to take at least two weeks. Presently, BigBasket's valuation is Rs 2,100 crore, or about $320 million. 
 
Through the latest funding round, it will be able to keep its growing competitors such as Grofers and PepperTap behind. 
 
Recently, BigBasket’s chief executive Hari Menon had said that he expected gross merchandise value of $300 million, or Rs 2,000 crore, for the ongoing financial year ending in March 2016. 
 
BigBasket, which has one-third of its sales from its own brands such as Fresho and BB Royal, ensures delivery of majority of the products as it operates on an inventory-based model. 
 
“We cater to both consumer needs, bulk pre-planned as well as on-demand emergency top-ups, with an inventory-led approach. For bulk orders, we fulfill orders through our warehouses and for one-hour express deliveries, we have set up about 63 'dark stores' around the city," Menon had said. 
 
Apparently, BigBasket handles about 2,700 orders per day.

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