Alcohol at your doorstep: Swiggy, Zomato to start online deliveries soon

Online food delivery platforms like Swiggy, and Zomato are planning to soon start alcohol delivery services in several states across India. According to the sources, the platforms will deliver low-alcohol drinks like beer, wine and ciders, according to The Economic Times. 

They have already launched alcohol delivery in cities like Kolkata and Siliguri in West Bengal, and are planning to extend this service to other states including Karnataka, New Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu. In Odisha, the service is already live in Bhubaneswar after obtaining the necessary approvals from the state government and will soon be available in other cities such as Rourkela, Balasore, Balangir, Sambalpur, Berhampur, and Cuttack.

Notably, Zomato and Swiggy launched online alcohol delivery in 2020 in the non-metro areas when the core business was impacted during the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, the online deliveries resulted in a 20-30% increase in sales in West Bengal and Odisha, according to the sources.

Closer monitoring of proofs

The companies have introduced measures to ensure safe and compliant deliveries. These include mandatory age verification, user authentication, and uploading valid ID proof, which will be checked both at the time of ordering and delivery. This move is aimed at promoting responsible ordering and consumption of alcohol.

Meanwhile, the sources have claimed that these online platforms are working closely with excise departments to ensure full compliance with safety guidelines and regulations. The companies also believe that this initiative could lead to wider acceptance and implementation across India.

Zomato’s multi-bagger rally

It is important to note that this development has come on the back of a 4.2% surge in Zomato’s co-founder Deepinder Goyal's net worth, the shares of which have grown over 300% in just two years. Goyal, who left the MNC job to start the online food delivery platform in 2008, owns about 36.95 crore shares in Zomato. The stock prices of the company zoomed over by 4% after the company increased the platform fee on Monday.