SUMMARY
Zomato is conducting trials at “five-six places” in Gurugram to offer last-mile delivery to office goers inside corporate parks
The pilot is an experiment and the company would scale the service across top five cities depending on its outcome
Shares of Zomato closed 1.21% higher at INR 184.55 on the BSE on April 1
Foodtech major Zomato is reportedly piloting a new initiative which offers last-mile delivery to office goers inside corporate parks.
According to Entrackr, the listed major has set up kiosks at “around five to six” corporate parks across Gurugram where a delivery executive can hand over the food parcel to the stationed team. Afterwards, a “walker” is tasked with delivering the item to the customer on their respective floor or exact location.
As per the report, Zomato has likely made arrangements with corporate parks to “whitelist” these last-mile delivery partners. The foodtech major has also promised “no calls from delivery partners” to end customers and dedicated “walkers” for each floor.
The company declined to comment on Inc42’s queries on the matter.
“It’s an experiment at the moment and the company would scale this service across top five cities depending on the outcome of the pilot,” the report cited a source as saying.
Meanwhile, another person familiar with the development reportedly said that these kiosks are receiving roughly 100 to 150 orders a day and the company expects the number to increase in the near future.
With this, Zomato is looking to emulate a model which is prevalent in China, where companies such as Meituan also station their teams at zones which house corporations and startups for efficient deliveries.
The development comes at a time when Zomato has been experimenting with a slew of new offerings to shore up its revenue. Last year, it piloted a platform fee (which now hovers around INR 3-5) and followed it up by signing a pact with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to deliver pre-ordered meals to railway passengers.
In February, it was reported that the foodtech major was mulling to expand its quick commerce arm Blinkit by adding more brands across new categories to compete with ecommerce marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart.
Meanwhile, the company continues to post healthy financial results, reporting its third consecutive profitable quarter in Q3 FY24. Its net profit quadrupled sequentially to INR 138 Cr in Q3 FY24 while operating revenue jumped 15% quarter-on-quarter to INR 3,288 Cr.
It has also emerged as a favourite of investors, with Jefferies placing the stock in the list of “top picks” for the next five years.
Shares of Zomato closed 1.21% higher at INR 184.55 on the BSE on Monday (April 1).
