Swiggy and Zomato expand service to essential groceries during the COVID-19 lockdown

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India is in the middle of an extended nation-wide lockdown, that is set to last at least until May 3rd. There are several areas marked as hotspots and thus even sealed off. Access to even necessities to people in those places has become extremely difficult. To solve for that, two of the most popular food delivery portals in India, Swiggy, and Zomato have decided to expand their service. Swiggy will in more than 125 cities and Zomato in 80 cities to delivery groceries now.

Swiggy has partnerships with fast-moving consumer goods brands including HUL, Procter & Gamble, Godrej, Dabur, Marico, Adani Wilmar and brick-and-mortar retailer Vishal Mega Mart and drugmaker ‘Cipla’. “While the grocery and essentials category has always been a part of our long-term strategy of delivering hyperlocal convenience, we have enabled faster ramp-up for the benefit of our consumers,” said Vivek Sunder, chief operating officer of Swiggy.

“Over the next few weeks, we will continue to onboard more stores in these existing cities and expand to more cities wherever local authorities permit,” he added.

For the consumers, it is suggested that once the products reach your doorstep, make sure you don’t touch them for a some time and wash everything possible. There are other brands too who came into partnership during this time.

– ITC has partnered Jubilant Food Works

– Paytm has partnered Mc Donald’s to deliver food to medical workers

– Uber (a business-facing vertical) partnered with Big Basket and Flipkart

On average, Swiggy’s grocery store partners have a select list of 10-50 items per store deemed essentials. Direct partnerships with brands and retailers will help Swiggy have better visibility into inventory and, in turn, maintain better fill rates for orders, the firm said.

Separately, Swiggy has also expanded its concierge service ‘Genie’ to over 15 cities. The service is limited to delivering essentials including over-the-counter medicines during the lockdown period.