Online food delivery app Zomato has ventured into grocery deliveries recently. As the demand for groceries during the period of lockdown increases, Zomato hopes to cater to the needs of the customers by delivering at their doorstep.
The company on Tuesday announced that it has begun grocery deliveries across 80 cities in the country.
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The ‘Zomato Market’ lists all the nearby grocery stores and lets the customers choose from it.
For now, Zomato has started delivering groceries in Delhi, Kerala and Punjab.
It was only in January that Zomato acquired Uber Eats, another delivery app. Zomato hopes to tap into the large customer base of Uber Eats and make it a sustainable business proposition during this lockdown and even beyond.
In Delhi, there are very few stores delivering depending on the location. While the minimum order has to reach Rs 300, the maximum weight for grocery delivery is 12 kg per order. Users can pay via UPI, credit cards, net banking, etc. Zomato’s food ordering and delivery services are already running ever since the lockdown started.
Zomato’s rival Swiggy also partnered with retail grocery stores like Vishal Mega Mart. As of now, the delivery of 12 Kg of products per order is allowed.
Swiggy was already delivering essential items through Swiggy Stores and Swiggy Go.
Swiggy Stores which started in February 2019, gives the user an option to go through the menu of a listed store and buy according to the need.
However, BigBasket and Grofers are leading the grocery delivery sector in India. While Flipkart and Amazon are also making space and catering to more customers for daily essential items.
These e-commerce companies are an example of market place e-commerce wherein it just provides the cyberinfrastructure and connects enterprises to the final consumer.
As digital connectivity increases in India, the e-commence business which was pegged at USD 37 billion in 2017 is expected to jump up to USD 200 billion by 2027.