Internet companies that deal in mobility around non essential items, such as Uber, Zomato, Swiggy and Rapido, have become non-operational amid the ongoing coronavirus lockdown across India. But these are companies are looking to help out in their own ways, by using their idle lying resources to delivery essential items for partners. Most of these companies are partnering up with retail shops and online grocers to ensure delivery of essential products to masses.
Companies like Dominos, Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, Rapido, Zypp and Scootsy have partnered with offline retail stores like Big Bazaar, Spencer’s Retail, Nature’s Basket to venture in grocery deliveries; as well as online essentials delivering platforms like Pharmeasy, Big Basket and Grofers which have been facing an alarming shortage of on field employees to complete deliveries. These companies have also made contact with big online marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon.
Uber has partnered with Spencer’s Retail and Big Basket, all while it has been talks with Flipkart and Amazon to get its drivers to deliver essential products along with these companies.
Rapido, a ride hailing service that employs drivers on two wheelers to provide a cheaper alternative to Uber and Ola, has also partnered up with Spencer’s Retail, Big Basket, Grofers, Big Bazaar and Nature’s Basket. meanwhile, Scootsy, a similar app, has also partnered up with Spencer’s Retail and Nature’s Basket.
Zomato has decided to partner with Grofers, a renowned e-grocery delivering platform.
Swiggy and Zomato have also made ties with Marico to deliver essential food items such as oils and oats.
Domino’s has decided to dedicate its fleet of delivery personnel to complete deliveries of essential services in partnership with ITC.
Spencer’s Retail, along with other retailers like More and Future Group, has decided to partner up with residential welfare associations for bulk deliveries to manage the queue in stores.
The National Restaurant Association of India itself has made contact with startups like Pharmeasy and Big Basket to employ restaurant staff for a while as they keep striving to look out for themselves despite of the industry being shut down.
Amazon and Flipkart meanwhile, both of which remained close for a few days due to the 21 day lockdown, have started deliveries in select cities once again.
