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Sometimes, you need a pregnancy test. Not a pregnant pause at the pharmacy,’ states one of the catchphrases plastered on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=gurgaon&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Gurgaon</a>- based <a href="http://www.smscontraceptive.com/">SMS Contraceptive’s website</a>. Incidentally, this also aptly summaries what the (barely) a-month-old startup is out to achieve- erasing the awkwardness involved in buying <keyword id="27993" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="condoms">condoms</keyword> and contraceptives. 
 Started by 18-year-old student <keyword id="3690613" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sirhaan-Seth">Sirhaan Seth</keyword>, <keyword id="3690612" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sms-contraceptive">SMS Contraceptive</keyword> promises to deliver <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=condoms&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">condoms</a>, emergency contraceptives, <keyword id="6447139" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="lubricants">lubricants</keyword> and even pregnancy tests under 30 minutes. The service is available 24/7 and all one needs to do is make a call, send a SMS or just WhatsApp them. What’s more, SMS Contraceptive also lets you order through <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=snapchat&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Snapchat</a>. 
 “We’re living in a time when people believe in the ‘I want anything at anytime’ culture and with India being a country that treats <keyword id="6355231" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sex">sex</keyword> as taboo, the process of buying condoms or an emergency contraceptive pill can be quite embarrassing. It’s the same situation that was with buying sanitary pads till about 10 years ago. This is where we come in. People don’t mind paying a premium for a service which will substitute the discomfort they face while trying to buy condoms,” states Seth when asked about the idea behind SMS Contraceptive. 
 
A box of 3 condoms is priced at Rs 150 while a box of 10 condoms comes at Rs 400. Emergency contraceptive pill is priced at Rs 150, lubricants at Rs 500 and an instant pregnancy test at Rs 100. Apart from the usual, SMS Contraceptive also delivers three personalised packages aptly named Safe Bet (A box of 3 condoms, 1 lubricant, 1 emergency contraceptive pills) Cruise Control (A box of 3 condoms, 1 lubricant) and SOS Package (1 emergency contraceptive pill, 1 Instant pregnancy test) for situations which require more. The pricing was decided keeping the delivery charge in mind. 
 
 
 
The startup which is awaiting its drug license currently operates through a Memorandum of Understanding with various chemists across the city and sees about 3 orders on weekdays and upto 8 on weekends with an average order of Rs 300. 
 Working with a team of about eight people, which includes four delivery boys, Seth plans to expand to <keyword id="6361054" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="South-Delhi">South Delhi</keyword> in the next two weeks and then move on to expanding the service in two Tier-1 cities in the next year. At the moment, SMS Contraceptives only delivers to <keyword id="6361586" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Gurgaon">Gurgaon</keyword>. 
 
Apart from the fact that Gurgaon is geographically easier to divide when it comes to deliveries, Seth decided to test his service in the millennium city as he believes it houses a ‘great concentration of his target audience- people in the age of 18-25 and who’re ready to pay a premium for a service like SMS Contraceptive.’ 
 
 
 
Though there exist online portals that offer contraceptive products, what works for SMS Contraceptive is the fact that they not only promise delivery within half an hour but are also available round the clock. 
 
Additionally, Seth also thinks that India’s orthodox societal outlook had a role to play in the phenomenal response, SMS Contraceptive has received. “My business would have never worked in America,” he signs off. 
 
Image credit: SMS Contraceptive

This
Indian startup aims to deliver condoms, lubricants and I-pills at your doorstep under 30 minutes

It is beyond doubt that mobile phones, especially <keyword id="6354775" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Smartphones">smartphones</keyword>, are transforming India. It has improved our income and hence our standard of living. Its ownership and effective use not only have an enormous economic impact, also resulted in significant improvements to the socio-economic fabric of our society at large. It is no longer limited to being only a communication tool. It has evolved to become a critical platform to deliver essential services. Hence it can be safely concluded that increased smartphone ownership will naturally bring-in socio-economic benefits. 

	In fact, for the first time in India, household ownership of mobile device is being used as an indicator of societal and economic wellbeing as it serves as an ideal proxy for mobile usage.
 Next time you see a person with a <keyword id="18312" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mobile-phone">mobile phone</keyword>, you can clearly draw the following conclusions about his/her social status. Read on to know what. 

	1. <keyword id="3118523" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="mobile-ownership">Mobile Ownership</keyword> and the Human Development Index
 

	Households that own a mobile phone appear to be enjoying an economic consumption premium over those who do not own a mobile. It has been observed that as smartphone usage has increased in India, there has also been a corresponding improvement in the Human Development Index (HDI). Therefore, it can be said that mobile ownership is one of the important determinants that have a multiplier effect on the HDI. 
 

	• It is interesting to note that the state of Kerala, which has the country’s highest HDI at 76.4, enjoys a 79 percent rural mobile ownership, also amongst the highest in the country. It is important to mention here that Kerala is the only state with almost 100 percent <keyword id="18006" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Literacy">literacy</keyword>, which is an important composite of the Human Development Index. 

	• Andhra Pradesh, India's fourth-largest state by area and fifth-largest by population, reports a HDI of 59 percent and a rural mobile ownership at 55.1 percent. The state reports a lower HDI as well as rural mobile ownership compared to neighbouring southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. With a population of 84 million where 2/3rd live in rural areas, indicates that nearly 55 million rural households do not own a mobile. 
 

	• Uttar Pradesh, one of the oldest states in the country with the fourth largest economy in India reports an HDI of 53 percent and a rural household mobile ownership of 55.4 percent. 

	 
	 
	 
 

	2. Mobile Ownership &amp; the Economic Consumption Expenditure Premium
 

	It is observed that mobile owning households in India enjoy economic premium prosperity over households that do not own a mobile in India (2009-2010). 
 

	• Indian households that own a mobile device enjoy a 62 percent economic prosperity premium compared to those without a mobile. 
 

	• This premium is even more pronounced with respect to urban communities where mobile phone-owning households are – on average – 85 percent better off in economic terms.

	 
	 
	 

	3. Literacy
 

	Literacy, which an important indicator of social development in a nation, also reveals interesting trends and depicts covariance with mobile ownership. 
 

	• It is observed that mobile ownership touches 80 percent on an average once a household attains secondary education. 
 

	• It can also be observed that mobile ownership increases by 10 percentage points once a household becomes just literate i.e. the head of the family can read and write but as not attended any formal schooling. 
 

	• Furthermore, the probability of owning a mobile is more than 1.5 times in case of a post graduate household compared to a household that is not-literate. 
 

	• On the other hand, the proportion of rural not-literate households owning a mobile is 40 percent whereas it is 20 percent higher in urban not-literate households. The rural-urban divide in terms of mobile ownership narrows down as educational attainment improves amongst Indian households. 
 

	4. <keyword id="6354525" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Healthcare">Healthcare</keyword>
 

	Owning a mobile has made it possible for households to instantly access basic healthcare services that have contributed to reduced mortality rates. 
 A good example of how the mobile device can be used to deliver basic healthcare services would be <keyword id="117647" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sparsh">SPARSH</keyword> - India’s first sexual and reproductive health services application launched by Tata Docomo in association with the Family Planning Association of India. For individuals seeking advice with puberty, menstruation, pregnancy and contraception, the service disseminates information via Interactive Voice Response (IVR), SMS and Out Call technologies, giving users privacy and providing timely information (critical in life-threatening situations). Note: The study has been jointly conducted by Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) and <keyword id="6359475" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tata-Teleservices">Tata Teleservices</keyword> Ltd. 
	 
	Image credits: indiatimes, mobile multipliers

You Searched For "sms contraceptive" and got 2 results

This Indian startup aims to deliver condoms, lubricants and I-pills at your doorstep under 30 minutes

Poulomi Das

What does a smartphone state about the social well-being of a country?

Usha Rani Das

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