Tag: food delivery startup

  • Online Alcohol Delivery in India: Did Zomato and Swiggy get the approval to Deliver Alcohol?

    With the coronavirus crisis drying up the state coffers, the opening of the Alcohol shops was the only way to make quick and easy money for the government. The national capital usually makes Rs 3,500 crore per month from liquor sales, but due to the lock-down, Karnataka made a record in a day of Rs 197 crore. Hence, the online-delivery of alcohol in India was looked at as an opportunity to boost the economy.

    Alcohol consumption in India reached 6.5 billion liters in 2020. The steady increase in consuming these beverages can be attributed to multiple factors including the rising levels of disposable income and a growing urban population among others. This was seen as an opportunity by food delivery startups-Zomato and Swiggy for making alcohol available for home delivery.

    long queues outside wine shops after 40 days of nationwide lock-down

    No wonder when India witnessed liquor sales worth crores of rupees on the first day of the shops reopening since the nationwide lock-down came into force on 25 March, it also saw social distancing rules being flouted with people lining up till kilometers outside the shops.


    “By enabling home delivery of alcohol in a safe and responsible manner, we can generate additional business for retail outlets while solving the problem of overcrowding,”

    Anuj Rathi, vice-president – products at Swiggy, said in a statement. Credits to the huge demand for alcohol in India the government approved of the idea and on the 4th of June, Swiggy launched home delivery of Alcohol in West Bengal, soon after in Jharkhand and Orissa.

    Now, to piece together the back-story of e-delivery of liquor and wine in India, there is some question that needs to be answered, such as, is this online delivery of alcohol legal and how is it managed. Well, we have answers to all your question.

    Who Regulates the Liquor Business in India?
    States that allowed Home Delivery of Alcohol in India
    Reasons for the approval for E-Delivery of Liquor
    Managing E-Delivery of Alcohol
    Pricing of Alcohol
    Swiggy and Zomato work with the Retailers

    Amazon And BigBasket Get Permission To Deliver Liquor In West Bengal
    The lockdown due to the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) affected the Indianeconomy in a bad way. The Indian economy came to a standstill ever since thelockdown has been imposed. Most of the industries except those which manufactureessential day-to-day products such as food products, medicines, et…

    Who Regulates the Liquor Business in India?

    As huge demand for alcohol in covid lockdown, and social restrictions, online wine shopping in india became need of the time.

    But, First of all, The question is How and by Whom is the Liquor Business in India Regulated?

    India’s alcohol drinks market was worth almost $27.2 billion in 2018, according to the most recent figures from the London-based research group IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.

    Liquor is a matter of the state and its business is firmly regulated by the Excise department of each state and the government regulates the supply of liquor in a state. In some states, retail sales are done by government-owned shops and for other states, the government is just a bulk supplier and the retail is managed by licensed private bodies. For some states, alcohol sales are divided between their own and private outlets.

    consumption (in billion liters) of alcohol in India during years 2016-2020

    States that allowed Home Delivery of Alcohol in India

    Thanks to the massive demand for alcohol in India even during a global pandemic, several states have allowed the online delivery of alcohol just to push the people back inside their houses. Zomato and Swiggy have already launched e-delivery of alcohol in Jharkhand and Orissa and are going to deliver in West Bengal shortly, whereas Delhi is on their radar too.


    Food-Tech Startups In India | Best Indian Food-Tech Startups [2021]]
    India has a humongous food industry, the sixth largest in the world. Retailstartups account for about 70% of the total sales in this segment. According toreports, the food and retail market will be worth $ 828.92 billion by 2020. Thefood-tech industry is growing rapidly with the emergence and dev…


    Reasons for the approval for E-Delivery of Liquor

    What was the reason behind the approval for E-Delivery of Liquor during a Global Pandemic?

    There are several legal formalities to be looked at by the state government for the online delivery of alcohol. But the states swung into action when on the 8th of May the Supreme court observed that the states should find ways for online delivery of alcohol because of concerns over social distancing due to COVID-19.

    The state government suggested multiple reasons for the approval of online delivery of liquor, for example, the Orissa government expressed its concerns over the long queues outside the liquor shops also informing that there was a great demand for it among the people.

    How Online Food Delivery Startups are dealing with CoronaVirus Outbreak?
    The Coronavirus or COVID-19 which started last year in December in Wuhan, Chinahas impacted the global economy and no industry sector has remained immune toit. All businesses, startups and industries across the globe are coming up withsafety measures to deal with the virus like asking employees t…

    Managing E-Delivery of Alcohol

    How will these Companies manage the E-Delivery of Alcohol?

    To ensure the safe delivery of alcohol with the compliance of all the laws, Swiggy has come up with measures such as age verification and user authentication before accepting the orders. Customers can provide the required data followed by their selfie which the platform will use for verification using an AI-powered system. The delivery persons will have to carry an identity card with them for validation and their details must be submitted with the state government and the customer’s age verification is a must at the time of the delivery.

    All orders will carry a unique OTP which would be required to provide by the customer at the time of delivery. There will also be curbs on the order quantity to ensure that customers are not bulk-purchasing.

    online alcohol delivery in India

    Beer in India: Top 10 Beer Companies in India – StartupTalky
    Beer is the oldest manufactured drink in the World. Over the past few years,beer has grown into types and styles. Indian rice beer is one such type of beer.Beer is generally made from water, grain, hops, and yeast. Beer’s alcoholcontent ranges from less than 3 % to 40 % depending on the beer styl…

    Pricing of Alcohol

    How are these Platforms going to Price the Alcohol?

    To prevent overcharging, the Orissa government is maintaining a list of retailers with the maximum price f different brands of alcohol. The delivery charges would be fixed at Rs.100 on orders worth Rs.1000 and for amounts beyond that, for every Rs.500 the charges will increase by Rs.25 having a maximum limit of Rs.300 on delivery. This process will be similar for other states as well.

    Swiggy and Zomato work with the Retailers

    How are Swiggy and Zomato going to work with the Retailers In-spite of their Tech Adroitness?

    The biggest challenge in front of these food delivery startups would surely be the different set of rules of different states. All the states in India have different retail rules, different taxes, prices, and different age limits for the consumption of alcohol varying between 18-25 years.

    Where, a month ago, Indians were browsing on the internet as ‘how to make alcohol at home’, the last few weeks have been the fuel of the locked-down economy’s engine has kept everyone in India going.

    “Alcohol is necessary for a man so that he can have a good opinion of himself, undisturbed be the facts.”

    Finley Peter Dunne had once said. The Coronavirus crisis must have been an end for several small businesses, but has also appeared as an opportunity for various other business. E-delivery of liquor is one such massive opportunity that will open new dimensions and will earn enormous revenues.

  • 5 Fast-Growing Businesses You Should Invest In

    Entrepreneurs and people looking to invest in businesses have never had it better than they do today. Businesses nowadays, are not only claiming a niche for themselves, solving numerous user problems and ushering in the future of the modern era, but they are also attracting huge wealth. Stock markets are expanding each day and the values of the shares of the companies are ever-expanding, setting new records with each passing day. Such investments are all coming from venture capitalists (VCs), angel investors, and other startup enthusiasts or businessmen.

    Though investing in growing businesses can seem to be a shortcut to making a huge amount of wealth in a short time without much brainstorming, it is not exactly what it looks like. Churning out a good amount of money by investing in startups and businesses is a tough nut to crack even for the investing giants, who also incur huge losses in the process. However, there are processes to follow, much experience to gather, and a good amount of knowledge to grasp, which will lead you towards becoming one with the successful investors.

    Yes, if you’re planning to jump on this bandwagon and grow your money with short-term investments in a business, now is the time. However, the first step is to decide which industry you should invest in.

    To start with this process, here we’ve put together a list of the fastest-growing sectors to help you with this decision of investment.

    Here are the top 5 industries that are currently growing at a quick pace in India:

    Food Industry

    With continuously higher annual contributions to the international food trade, this is one of the fast-growing businesses, which makes it a good bet for investors and business people alike.

    The food market and its survival is essential for mankind. Besides, the latest trends that are fuelled by the research and development in the market are making foods healthier and more appetising than ever. Food choices are increasing and conveniences to procure food are decreasing, and all of that is happening due to the ever-increasing potential of the food market. The revenue in the food market of the US amounts to $8.77 tn in 2022. Food market is growing all across the globe really. Even in India, we see a huge rise of food and foodtech startups that are innovating the purchase and delivery of food products. From food processing giants like Nestle, Parle, Britannia, Amul, and Haldiram’s, to food delivery startups like Zomato, Swiggy, to the new-age meat startups like Licious and TenderCuts, vegan foods and plant-based meat startups, everyone is contributing largely to the food industry of the country and exploring new possibilities for themselves and their investors to grow.    

    Restaurants and food delivery businesses throughout the nation are seeing rapid growth as well. Consumers in the country are also spending far more on specialty gourmet and healthy foods than they did in the past, which makes food retail an attractive option. This sector offers an unlimited potential for high profits and ROI, particularly in segments such as food processing, packaging, and value addition. The Indian gourmet food market has been valued at $1.3 bn, which is growing at a CAGR of 20%.


    FreshMenu – Delivers An Extensive Range of Freshly Prepared Food!
    This post has been approved by the organization it is based on. The Cloud Kitchens in India have overcome the conventional food services and ismost welcomed by everyone. It is also preferred especially in this time of thepandemic. FreshMenu is one such company that was founded by Rashmi Daga in 2…


    Food Industry
    Food Industry-

    Tourism Industry

    India offers an endless variety of attractions for both foreign and domestic tourists, from historic monuments to lush natural reserves, quiet hill stations to bustling markets, and more. In recent years, the tourism sector has picked up tremendously and is one of the fast-growing businesses, especially with a rise in disposable income among young professionals. Rather than heading to international locations for vacation, Indians are spending more time and money exploring different parts of the country. This makes the tourism and hospitality industry a great choice for investors.

    The travel and tourism industry’s contribution to the overall GDP of the nation was estimated at $121.9 bn in 2020. This will further rise, according to the latest reports, and would reportedly be reaching nearly $512 bn by 2028. MakeMyTrip, Yatra, Goibibo, EaseMyTrip, ClearTrip, and more such players are widening opportunities for the Indians to travel at their ease anywhere they want.  


    Deep Kalra: Founder & CEO of MakeMyTrip | Biography | Net Worth | Education | Story
    Work, assignments, and stress. These three words take up significant time in amillennial’s day. And it’s only going to get more hectic. As a result, most ofus and not just the millennials yearn for that much needed break. A long trip toGoa or visiting monuments usually does the job of shedding so…


    Healthcare Industry

    Along with an increase in the average life expectancy and income levels, growing awareness about health and wellness has contributed to the rapid growth of India’s healthcare sector. This has also brought the medical sector into the category of fast-growing businesses.

    In addition to the evolution of hospitals, clinics, and healthcare centers, research and development have significantly increased in segments like medicines, their delivery, alternative therapy, health insurance, medical devices, and infrastructure, and more. Don’t forget that India is also a leading medical tourism destination, with people from around the world heading here for dental treatment, cosmetic surgery, and other healthcare aids.

    Looking at the growth of the healthcare sector in India, while the hospital industry in India is growing at a CAGR of 16-17% and will soon reach $132.84 bn, the pharmaceutical sector of India is worth $42 bn, courtesy of the pharmaceutical giants operating in India. The pharmaceutical sector of India is positioned 3rd in terms of volume and enjoys the 13th place in terms of value as per the recent surveys.

    This growing healthcare sector is now flooded with numerous startups like 1Mg, HealthKart, mFine, Netmeds, Practo, PharmEasy, MediBuddy, HealthifyMe and more, which are strengthening healthcare across various segments and beefing up its offerings.  

    Healthcare Sector
    Healthcare Sector in India-

    Best Healthcare Business Ideas Tips You Will Read This Year
    Are you looking for the best business ideas for the healthcare industry? It isone of the continuing growing industry. You can start your business whether youare medical professionals or having an interest in the healthcare industry.Ithas a lot of opportunities to start a healthcare business. Some…


    Retail Sector

    The retail sector in India has seen immense changes and growth in the last few years, especially after the emergence of the e-commerce and online shopping space. With the world’s second-largest middle class that also has a high disposable income, competitive pricing, and rapid digitalization of the retail space, India currently ranks 5th on the list of global retail destinations. From small-scale startups to well-established giants, the retail industry offers something for every investor so much so that the would-be entrepreneurs are also practically spoilt for choice in this industry!

    Though the retail market was identified as a largely unorganised sector earlier, it is fast bringing an organised structure in place. The organised portion of the retail sector is now more than 50% of the industry, and this growth has manifested in just teh period between 2012-present. The modern retail industry is now expected to grow at a CAGR of 15% and will even estimated to increase to 18% by the end of 2025.

    So, if you are looking for investment in the fast-growing businesses of now, then the retail industry is definitely one of them. Besides, with the retail giants like the Tata Group, Reliance Group, Aditya Birla Group, D-Mart and more, and the growing talks of superapps like TataNeu and that of the ONDC and how it will change the retail sector, the retail industry is definitely a dream pick for the investors.

    Snapbizz- Cloud Connected POS Billing Machine for Retailers | Comapny Profile
    The content in this post has been approved by the organization it is based on. SnapBizz, headquartered in Bengaluru, provides new age solutions to convert theneighbourhood Kirana stores into smart stores with a host of features to enablethe store owner to leverage on latter’s current strengths to…

    Retail Sector in India
    Retail Sector in India

    Personal Care

    The range of products and services offered by India’s personal care industry has undergone tremendous changes over the years. Today, almost everyone is willing to spend more money on a variety of organic, handmade, and natural alternatives for their daily use. These include soaps, shampoos, makeup, hair styling products, and intimate hygiene solutions.

    The beauty and personal care market in India has been estimated at $24.53 bn in 2022, and is expected to scale to $33.33 bn by 2027, the growth of which is estimated at 6.32%.  

    Selling through online portals surely opened up more opportunities for small business owners and the larger ones. Besides, quality beauty and personal care brands and their products are made available easily online by the D2C beauty and personal care brands like Nykaa, Plum, Tattva, Mamaearth, Wow Skin Science, Purplle, and more. Also, the personal care giants like ITC, HUL, Dabur, Godrej and its subsidiaries, Colgate, etc., are always renovating their products and revisiting their quality and effectiveness to give the startups a fight. Moreover, scopes are always increasing in wedding planning, tattoos, and piercings, spas, massage therapy, and other related sectors.

    If you’re seeking funds to launch your dream business, grow your existing business or take advantage of a time-bound investment opportunity with high returns, consider using a personal loan. An unsecured loan or personal line of credit can be repaid over time, which makes sense if returns from your investment will be higher than the loan interest!


    Top Direct To Customer(D2C) Brands in India
    Traditionally, any small retail business needed distributors like supermarketsand other retail outlets to make their product reach the masses. This meantsharing a great deal of profit with wholesalers and retailers. The only directrelationship manufacturers could secure with consumers was through…


    FAQs

    What is the fastest-growing retail store?

    Retailers Rising to the Top – Based on these metrics, activewear brand lululemon is the world’s fastest-growing retail brand for the second year running. Famous for its culture of accountability and global community events, the brand has struck the perfect balance between a seamless online and offline experience.

    What is the role of the food industry?

    The role of the manufacturing food industry in relation to the provision of foods for the weanling encompasses 4 main objectives viz. customer satisfaction, safety, providing product information, and the maintenance of commercial viability.

    What is the meaning of the tourism industry?

    In its broadest sense, the tourism industry is the total of all businesses that directly provide goods or services to facilitate business, pleasure, and leisure activities away from the home environment.

  • Amalgamation of AI & ML in India’s Food Tech Industry

    The Indian food industry has evolved by adopting the new age technologies for operating seamlessly. Companies backed by artificial intelligence have a significant advantage over the companies not using AI. Big players like Zomato, Swiggy and Foodpanda have embraced the AI to deliver the best possible experience. Driving motivation from their growth, other online food delivery companies are adopting artificial intelligence for improving customer experiences. Artificial Intelligence in food industry has proved to be beneficial in many ways.

    An online study states that the food tech industry in India is expected to grow to $4 billion 2020. Every new startup wants to dominate the industry by leveraging artificial intelligence in one way or another. Food delivery platforms such as Zomato and Swiggy have extended their user base at an exponential rate. Impact of AI in food industry has been in a positive way.

    List of Food Tech Startup using AI/ML

    TheRecipeBook

    TheRecipeBook is an artificial intelligence recipe app, where it scans the food item using image recognition. Also, it suggests recipes that can be made out of the available ingredients. With at least six lakh recipes available in the app, it can also recognize more than 1,200 food materials.


    Also Read: Ideally Tested Food Business Ideas you can Start in 2020


    Dishq

    Food brain company “Dishq’ company predicts individual food preferences. Launched in December 2015, it helps consumers make better food choices by bringing personalization technology to the food and beverages industry.

    Euphotic Labs

    After a long day in the office, it’s not easy to motivate oneself to go to the kitchen and cook. And Euphotic Labs strives to revolutionize the concept of preparing food. They are developing a fully automated kitchen to relieve humans especially the working professionals from the arduous task of cooking.

    Gulpie

    With the help of powerful artificial intelligence and machine learning, Gulpie works and personal assistant to rate and picks a restaurant that suits a consumer’s diet, taste and health preferences. It is also enabled to take various other things into consideration like preferences, allergies etc. With a feature called HungerChat it allows the users to invite friends and get personalized recommendations as a group.

    Nymble

    Nymble Labs is developing appliances which are fully automatic and easy to operate. The user just needs to choose a recipe from the menu option the necessary ingredients and wait for the delicious meal cooked by the AI and ML powered appliance. It is incorporated with advanced machine vision, a built-in HD camera which lets the user view the food. It also has Precise Thermal Control system so that the food doesn’t get burnt.

    With a diverse menu for food, Nymble can make everyday cooking less cumbersome. Lately, Nymble Labs has developed smart sous chef that prepares 80+ recipes on its own. User needs to select the recipe and ingredients required and Julia will prepare the selected recipes without any further instructions.

    Nymble labs appliances Julia
    Julia – smart chef built by Nymble Labs

    Robot

    Get food served by robots in this restaurant in Chennai. Clad in red armour a robot sits on an iron throne while three saree clad robots carrying trays of food. Founded by Venkatesh Rajendran, a restaurateur, and Karthik Kannan, an architect in the year 2015, they do not actually replace waiters with robots. In fact, it is the waiters who control and regulate the movements of the robots using an app.


    Also Read: Still Sceptical About AI & ML? Get Started With These Machine Learning Books


    SP Robotics

    SP Robotics is an ed-tech startup that provides robotic education to students from age 12-17 under the brand name Kidobotikz. Four robotic enthusiasts, who are members of this community, has developed India’s first food serving robot called BOB (Butler ‘O’ Bistro), equipped with ultrasonic sensors. The customer needs to order the food which is then placed on the robot as it makes its way back to the customer.

  • Top Companies Providing Contactless Services to its Customers

    As we look forward to the next normal, customers are already indicating a preference for companies who delivering contactless services by taking care of proper safety measures, reducing risk all along the customer journey. Companies are moving forward quickly to institute new policies that will allow them to resume their operations post COVID-19

    As India is going into a recovery phase, all its companies are looking for ways to provide goods and services seamlessly to its customers keeping in mind the safety of both its customers as well as its employees. Here is what the big companies are planning to do to provide a  contactless service to its customers.

    1. McDonald’s

    Westlife Development, the company that owns and operates McDonald’s restaurants in India has launched fully contactless take-outs in selected cities. The company stated that this move is aimed at providing a safe, hygienic, and convenient food take-outs for its customers who decide to step out of their homes to avail essential services. This contactless service delivered by McDonald’s allows its customers to place their take-out orders from their preferred stores ( nearest McDonald’s restaurant), pay online, and pick-up their order from the take-out counter on their way to home or work.

    The company ensured that the entire process from placing the order till receiving the order will be completely safe, contactless, and with adequate social distancing at every step. The company was one of the first QSR brands to resume their services with contactless deliveries and are currently delivering out of more than 150 delivery hubs.

    McDonald's 'contactless service' policy
    McDonald’s contactless policy

    Also Read: How to Provide a Contactless Experience to your Customers


    How Does This Contactless Service Works?

    • Open the McDonald’s app and select the take-out option.
    • Select the preferred store for the take-out ( nearest restaurant).
    • Order your meal and pay online.
    • Collect your order at the take-out counter at the restaurant

    1. Swiggy-Zomato-Dunzo

    The Directorate General of civil aviation (DCGA) has given permission to Swiggy, Zomato, and Dunzo to deliver the products to its customers using Drones. This will mark the first step in India’s plan to develop local drone-based services capabilities. This will set a benchmark for other companies as this will be the most appropriate method for contactless delivery. All these companies launched ‘contactless delivery’ in early March when India had less than 100 cases of the novel coronavirus. The companies continued their services throughout the pandemic with safety and hygiene measures being taken by their employees. As the cases in India have crossed lakhs and the fact that the virus’s impact is going to continue in the near future too, made these delivery startups to take the bold decision of serving its customers through drones.

    “We will start flying in the first week of July and plan the clock around 120 hours of flights in two and a half months.”

    said Nagendra Kandasamay, founder and director of Throttle Aerospace, which received approval from the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation in March along with Dunzo. India is looking at these experiments as a way to fast-pace its policies and preparing the local industrial sector to push into the drone service segment on a global basis.

    Volume of drones in Amazon's fleet from 2016-2020 (per 1000 people)
    Volume of drones in Amazon’s fleet from 2016-2020 (per 1000 people)

    Also Read: The Role Of Drones In The Upcoming Future


    2. Uber-Ola

    After four iterations of nationwide lockdown, the Indian government has lifted the restrictions from public transports as well. As public transportation services resume, Uber and Ola have come up with guidelines using which they will be rendering service to its customers in a ‘contactless’ way. With the fear of contagion of the virus being in the people’s minds, these companies have released guidelines using which a person can travel confidently. The things to be taken care of while using cabs are:

    • The driver should ensure that there are only two passengers traveling in the cab at a time
    • Wearing of masks is essential
    • Cab users can only occupy the back seats
    • Both Uber and Ola will need to discontinue their pooling services,i.e. Uber pool, and Ola pool
    • Cabs should be disinfected after every ride
    • Both the drivers and the customers should maintain hygiene inside the cab.

    Keeping in mind the Government policies, Uber also issued some guidelines which were also reflected on the Uber app.

    a) Checklists

    The online checklist available on the app cross-checks that both the driver and the customer are taking required precautions before requesting/accepting the ride.

    b) Mask Verification

    Uber is urging the drivers to click a selfie with a mask on before accepting a ride and also allows the driver to cancel a request if they feel that the customer is not wearing a mask.

    c) Free Cancellation

    The updated policy for cancellation by the company now allows the passenger to cancel the ride anytime if they feel that precautions are not being taken by the driver. The driver has the same rights to cancel under such circumstances.

    Similarly, Ola cabs have also taken such measures to ensure the safety of both its drivers as well as the customers.

    Conclusion

    As India struggles to get back the normalcy, the government, as well as the different sectors, are coming up with policies and guidelines for its citizens who do not have the luxury of staying at their homes and have to come out of their houses to do their respective jobs and duties.

  • Amazon Experimenting In Food Delivery Services In India

    The e-commerce giant Amazon,  now a days is  to expand all of it’s service in all the sectors by entering in the new sectors trying to build tough competition for the existing players of that sector. Now, the company has joined India’s online food delivery market, and now focusing on becoming the market leader in this sector by giving tough competition to the top local players i.e. Swiggy and Zomato. Let us see the complete report on the topic, Amazon experimenting in food delivery services in India.

    Insights of Amazon Food

    Amazon Food

    The American-based e-commerce giant Amazon, has invested a good amount in their new venture i.e. around $6.5 billion in India. The name given to their brand new food delivery service is Amazon Food. At the present moment, the Amazon food is working in selected pin-codes of Bangalore i.e.  560048, 560037, 560066 and 560103. From the past news from many sources, it was heard that the company was originally planning to launch their food delivery service in India last year, which they pushed to match. No clear reason was provided by the company in this regards but later on they had to push it further more due to the nationwide stay-at-home order (National lockdown) by the Indian government, which they issued in late March before the immediate starting of their services.


    Also Read:  Steps Taken by Online Food Delivery Startups amid CoronaVirus Outbreak


    E-commerce giant at present testing the food delivery service with the selected restaurant partners in Bangalore with some of the employees. They are going to expand this venture in the upcoming span of time.

    Competition in food delivery services

    The basic idea behind the Amazon’s entry into the food delivery market sector to try the new sector. Also, many of it’s rival in their sectors are presently started working in this sector. Google is also working in this sector indirectly with the help of their funded company i.e. Danzo. At present, Danzo (Google backed startup) is working in all types of delivery services and now has started delivering the food services.


    Also Read: The Unpredictable Acquisition of Online Food Delivery


    Other startups like Zomato is itself working in this sector and has now acquired Uber Eats in the starting of the year. The biggest rival startup, Swiggy is also giving the tough competition in this sector, making this sector difficult for any type of future competition. After looking a great opportunity in this food and delivery sector, Amazon is also trying to experience this sector.

    Amazon strategy behind Amazon food

    Amazon is now promoting it’s Amazon prime services to their customers to experience all the facility under a single roof. The company was waiting to integrate this facility with their prime services. According to the company, this brand new integration of this service can help them in increasing their revenue and can help in achieving their goal of converting their business model into profits. This will also help them in acquire more customers which can become their potential customer and so they will be able to experience all the facility within the same brand name in the single servicing platform.

  • Steps Taken by Online Food Delivery Startups amid CoronaVirus Outbreak

    The Coronavirus or COVID-19 which started last year in December in Wuhan, China has impacted the global economy and no industry sector has remained immune to it. All businesses, startups and industries across the globe are coming up with safety measures to deal with the virus like asking employees to work from home, avoid social gatherings, etc. Foodtech startups are no exception to this.

    Top Indian food delivery platforms Zomato and Swiggy together deliver an estimated 2.6 million orders every day. But they have taken multiple measures to deal with the situation. These measures ensure the safe food delivery considering the safety of delivery executive as well as consumers. The measures are helping these startups to keep operations going and to reduce any negative impact on consumer deliveries

    Foodtech Startups to Follow Hygiene Practices

    Indian foodtech startups Swiggy and Zomato have announced several safety measures in an effort to combat the novel coronavirus. While the Bengaluru based foodtech unicorn Swiggy already sent an email to all its consumers how they are taking the different measures to cope with the situation. Zomato soon followed suit with safekeeping measures of its own like contact-less delivery.

    The main focus of the announcements is to inform people about different measures that food delivery platforms are taking to ensure that their delivery partners follow all the safety and hygiene guidelines approved by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(MoHFW). They also announced that the consumer will now have the option of choosing to ask the delivery partner to leave the food at their doorstep. Some startups are also offering insurance and financial support to delivery staff in case they are infected with the virus

    There are certain directives that these startups are following. They ensure that the crew member who assembles the food, the one who packs food and the delivery executive do not touch the food with bare hands and take all possible precautions to ensure hygiene. The delivery packets are sealed and delivered by a runner who drops the order at a pre-appointed spot usually outside the door and then watches from a safe distance while you pick up your order and go back inside.

    Co-founder and CEO of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal explained this through a tweet that “A consumer can now choose for this option through our ‘delivery instructions’ feature.” An app update over the weekend will make this explicitly clear to everyone.” Through this option, the delivery partner will keep the delivery parcel on a clean surface outside the door. When the consumer receives a photo of the delivered food, the consumer can then pick up the package at their convenience.

    As India prepares to face the current health crisis, Westlife Development, the company that owns and operates McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India, has launched contactless delivery service to deliver food to the customers’ doorstep. According to the company, McDonald’s India is ensuring that food reaches customers without being touched by bare hands and delivered safely with by following social distancing measures.

    “Our customers’ safety has been and will continue to be our top priority. On one hand, we have increased the safety and hygiene processes at our restaurants. On the other hand, we are ensuring contactless delivery to retain consumers’ trust in McDonald’s. Both our consumers and the industry look up to McDonald’s for path-breaking initiatives and contactless delivery,” said Smita Jatia, managing director of Hardcastle Restaurants.

    Online Food Deliveries Declining Fast

    Unfortunately, even after adopting the hygiene practices, online food delivery has seen huge fall in demand. Online food delivery orders for Zomato and Swiggy have dropped 70% in the last 10 days as customers step back and top restaurants shut shop during lockdown induced by the Covid-19 virus outbreak. The reason behind this is that people do not want to perform any practices, which in any way, can expose them to the virus.

    Their investors revealed that even before the lockdown, the orders had started declining. In the first two weeks of March, food delivery orders declined 20%. When lockdown was imposed, Swiggy and Zomato said about 60 to 70% of its cities would be shut for food delivery including few prominent ones. As a result, steady state of 2.5 million deliveries a day, the deliveries have fallen down quickly. In the last 10-15 days, online food delivery orders have dropped 70% to under 1 million a day.

    But considering food delivery startups, the Grocery delivery apps are in demand more than ever not only in India but in many countries during this health crisis. As many countries are under lockdown, the governments are asking people to strictly avoid getting out of their houses to maintain social distancing. Hence, majority of the people are relying on the Grocery delivery apps to avoid social gatherings.

    As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the countries, grocery delivery apps have begun seeing record numbers of daily downloads, according to new data from app store intelligence firm Apptopia. The firm said that online grocery apps like Instacart, Walmart Grocery and Shipt hit yet another new record for daily downloads for their respective apps.

    Typically, these apps see tens of thousands to as many as 20,000+ downloads per day. But on April 12, Instacart saw more than 38,500 downloads and Walmart Grocery saw nearly 54,000 downloads. Experts told the delivery strategies need to be better optimised at this time of uncertainty. Considering grocery is in high demand, this makes sense for all players involved in it.


    Also Read: Ideally Tested Food Business Ideas you can Start in 2020


    Zomato & Swiggy will also deliver Groceries Now

    In India too, Grofers, BigBasket and other grocery delivery apps have seen a boom in demand over the past week on the back of panic buying. As many consumers are stuck at home, they are heavily relying on these online grocery stores offering doorstep delivery. Seeing these demands, many foodtech startups are also turning towards these grocery sales to earn some revenue.

    Food-delivery and restaurant discovery app Zomato has decided to try hands at the grocery sale as the category sees a major demand amid the Covid-19 outbreak. The Gurugram-based startup Zomato has decided to partner with e-grocers, Grofers and BigBasket, to sell food products and essentials on its platform by facilitating their deliveries.

    Online Grocer Delivery or E-grocer
    Zomato & Swiggy have started to Deliver Grocery in Major Cities

    Zomato has begun delivering grocery in more than 80 cities in India. Users can access this service by downloading the Zomato app and visit the Zomato Market section. Zomato Market identifies nearby grocery stores that are available and open for delivery. They have started grocery delivery in 80 plus cities across India to help with the supply of essentials.

    CEO & founder of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal said, “Our delivery network in the country is the second best after India Post. Thus, we are ensuring that in every effort we put it to good use to serve the community. We would like to thank the government authorities, grocery stores, FMCG companies and other startups that have come forward to partner with us and support the community in this endeavour.”

    Apart from its grocery deliveries, Zomato has also extended paid Zomato Gold memberships by two months at zero additional cost. This new extension is valid in India, UAE, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Lebanon, Turkey, New Zealand, Portugal, and Qatar.

    The food delivery app Swiggy is also not behind in this league. Swiggy has announced a new service to deliver groceries through the application. The lockdown has encouraged the company to spread this service to over 125 new cities across India. Swiggy will be providing essential commodities by partnering with numerous national brands.

    Swiggy has launched a hyper local delivery service called ‘Genie’ that will pick and drop items from any local store that is open. The service is currently only available for essentials and even medicines. During the launch of the service in September last year, the service was labeled ‘Swiggy Go’.

    Swiggy will be partnering with Hindustan Unilever Ltd., P&G India, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd., Dabur India Ltd., Marico Ltd., Vishal Mega Mart Pvt. Ltd., Adani Wilmar Ltd., Cipla Ltd to provide essential items across various cities.


    Also Read: Abhinay Choudhary: Simplified Grocery Shopping Through BigBasket


    Conclusion

    Due to lockdown, Swiggy and Zomato are finding it difficult to grow online food deliveries but this has led them to partner with local grocery shops to provide essentials to the people who want to avoid social gatherings. But this has given people a good opportunity to maintain social distancing by ordering groceries from home only.

  • Ideally Tested Food Business Ideas you can Start in 2020

    Food is the basic necessity of the life and now has also become a luxury in many cases. People around the world love to eat delicious food, due to which there is a huge demand for food business ideas with low investment. To run any business successfully, you must have interest in doing that thing. Many people like to eat variety of food, many people like to make different kind of fusion food, many people like to make food for others. So, if you have interest and operate this business properly, it is very rare to find a food business failing to succeed. Here we have made list of startup food business ideas.

    1. Catering Services

    Catering Service as a Food Business Ideas
    Catering Service | Food Business Ideas

    Catering service is a popular business idea in the food industry. Do you love hosting parties, making food for your friends and family members? Then, this is best food business to start. For every small and big gathering and get together people are always looking for catering services. Apart from that, you will get business through event planners also. Catering business ideas in India is great idea as Indians give lot of importance to food in any sort of program, function, parties.

    With moderate investment and proper planning, any individual can initiate a catering service of his own. Moreover, catering services are rising at a rapid rate to cater the need of customers and it is ideally a great food business ideas which can be started with low investment and can give you a high return.

    2. Coffee Shop Business Idea

    Coffee Shop as a Food Business Ideas
    Coffee Shop | Food Business Ideas

    Coffee is such a beverage which most of the people need to drink twice or more in day. Many people start their day with Coffee and many people end their day with coffee. Are you expert in making special coffee? Then this is the perfect business idea for you. Over the past decade, the coffee shop business is increasing rapidly. An entrepreneur who is passionate and talented about coffee can initiate coffee shop business with substantial capital investment. Although, the coffee shop is actually treated as a place outside of work and home to relax. Coffee shop business is one of the best ways to turn into a profit making business.

    Furthermore, a classic successful coffee shop chain is Cafe Coffee Day which has a significant presence throughout the globe and now the rising coffee house which is much more renowned as Starbucks is expanding its outlet network in India. India with its high population and never-ending demand gives a very good opportunity to start a food business with a coffee shop chain.

    3. Baking Business Idea

    Bakery as a Food Business Ideas
    Bakery | Food Business Ideas

    Are you an expert in baking cakes, breads? Do you like to make cake have tempting look with beautiful icing? Then, this idea is perfect for you. A bakery business can be initiated in two ways. You can establish a bakery with a retail location and sell fresh baked items from your store or you can establish a large scale bakery unit and sell product through the retailers. The bakery is one of the proven and most profitable food business ideas that can be initiated with proper planning.

    However, some famous bakery which has quickly grown itself from scratch are Cookie Jar, Krazy For Chocolates, French Loaf, etc. They have immensely grown themselves with little investment and a great food business idea to work on.

    4. Buffet Restaurant

    Buffet Restaurant as a Food Business Ideas
    Buffet Restaurant | Food Business Ideas

    Buffet only restaurant is one of the most trending food business ideas. People always love to have the food according to their own choices by selecting from many options. Right location and proper marketing strategy are important in starting a buffet restaurant business idea. As well as one price, all-you-can-eat buffet-style restaurants have become extremely popular with the budget-minded dining crowd. This is a good food business ideas.

    Unlike a typical restaurant, a buffet restaurant has one major benefit for the operator–shorter work hours. Typically, buffet restaurants cater to lunch and supper diners and do not open until 11 a.m. and are closed by 9 p.m. Based on volume, a buffet restaurant can be very profitable, as often the operating overheads are much lower than similarly-sized restaurants, simply due to the fact that fewer employees are required to run the business. Additionally, wholesale food items can also be purchased for lower cost based on volume buying, which adds to beefed-up profits.

    5. Cooking Classes

    Cooking Classes as a Food business
    Cooking Classes | Food Business Ideas

    If you love to cook and enjoy crafting new tasty food recipes then you should consider starting a cooking classes business. This can be initiated as a home-based business with small capital. You can have business tie-ups with the retail store that sell fresh fruits. Many people wish they had skills in the kitchen and are willing to pay to learn. Like other culinary jobs, a cooking instructor can focus on a specific area, such as baking or grilling, or be a generalist.

    You can lead cooking instruction in your home, or have someone videotape you and you can sell the videos as part of a home-learning course. Another option is to create your own cooking show posted on YouTube, which can pay you advertising income. Therefore, one opportunity in segment gives you a by-opportunity to generate more and more money by little effort. This is a good food business ideas from home.

    6. Food Truck Business Idea

    Food Truck as a Food Business
    Food Truck | Food Business Ideas

    The mobile food truck business is different from the normal restaurant in two major ways. One is you are moving and you don’t have a permanent location. Second is you are going to the customers. A person having minimum experience in the food service industry can initiate this business in the city area. This can be a small food business idea. From food truck, you can sell frozen and packaged items like ice cream, soft drinks, sweets, and snacks or you can go for cooked items with a specific menu including for breakfast, Tiffin, lunch. Food truck business is profitable in India as people opt for outside food more now a days.

    There are two types of food carts: the mobile food preparation vehicle (MFPV), where food is prepared as customers wait, and the industrial catering vehicle (ICV), which sells only prepackaged foods. An MFPV costs more than an ICV, and both cost more than a food cart. A used hot dog cart may cost under Rs. 50,000, while a retro-fitted used food truck typically costs Rs. 80,000 or more. A new MFPV could cost upwards of Rs. 120,000. Complying with additional health department rules and regulations can also drive up food truck costs.

    7. Juice Business Ideas

    Juice Bar as a Food Business
    Juice Bar | Food Business Ideas

    The juice bar is one of the most popular food business ideas from the early days. You can also keep cool drinks including fresh fruit juices. Fresh juice bar can be initiated with low startup capital. Location plays an important role in getting success. A juice bar that serves customers fresh-squeezed fruit juice drinks and smoothies is a fantastic new business enterprise to put into action, as more and more people are striving to lead healthier lifestyles.

    Ideal locations to establish a juice bar include busy tourist attractions and beach areas, mall food courts, fitness clubs, and public markets. To boost sales and profits, additional items such as sandwiches, salads, and healthy snacks can also be added to the menu. The profit potential for a juice bar will vary based on factors such as operating overhead and total sales. However, an established and well-run juice bar can easily generate profits in excess of Rs. 50,000, and the profits can go much higher by adding additional menu items and delivery services.

    8. Pizza Delivery Business Idea

    Pizza Delivery as a Food Business Ideas
    Pizza Delivery | Food Business Ideas

    Now a days, people like fast food more. Pizza Delivery can be good fast food business idea. The main focus area of the pizza delivery business is choosing a right delivery boy and preparing the menu. A lot of the people will likely to have meals at their doorsteps due to their busy work schedule. Pizza is now well known, favorite, tasty dish all over the world. Although, starting a pizza delivery business can be profit making. There are two ways to start a pizza delivery business. You can either learn how to make your own pizza (which you would deliver to your customers on order) or partner with a notable pizza shop and simply buy from them to deliver whenever there is an order.

    9. Sea Food Selling

    Sea Food Market as a Food Business Idea
    Sea Food Selling | Food Business Ideas

    Initiating a specialty seafood selling business is a wonderful and profitable business idea one can start from their home. You will need to source the products as a wholesale purchase and store them in a freezer. Through a delivery vehicle, you can make the delivery at customers door step. Proper product promotion plan is required in this business. This can be a good food business idea with small capital.

    10. Tea Bag Making

    Tea Bag making as a Food Business Idea
    Tea Bag Making | Food Business Ideas

    Tea bag making business requires only two major raw material components tea and paper bags. A tea bag is a small sealed bag containing tea leaves and it is used with a hot cup of water to prepare the drink called tea. An aspiring entrepreneur having good knowledge about tea leaves can start the tea bag making business with moderate capital investment. However, the tea bag has a high sale as leading coffee shops, airlines, hotels, trains, etc, provide tea bags to their customer. Furthermore, you can start with a premium tea bag and set up high-quality tea with different natural flavors to cater to the need for tea lovers.

    11. Organic Food Shop

    Organic Food | Food Business Ideas

    If you health conscious and you really give stress on quality before buying food, then this new food business idea is perfect for you. Now a days people are more conscious about health and what they are eating. People have started understanding the importance of organic food. They are ready to pay little extra and buy organic food. If you like farming, you can also do organic farming and sell products. This can be best food business ideas in India.

    India ranks as the single largest producer of organic foods worldwide. You have many options to do organic food business depending upon availability of sources. Like,

    • Organic Farming
    • Organic Kitchen Garden
    • Organic Juice Stall
    • Organic Fertilizer
    • Organic Vegetable Seeds
    • Organic Health Supplements
    • Organic Body and Skincare Products
    • Organic Baby Food
    • Organic Fish Farm
    • Organic Poultry Farm
    • Organic Food Export
    • Organic Recipe Book

    Like these, many options are there if you start thinking.


    Also Read: Amalgamation of AI/ML in India’s food Tech Domain


    Being an enthusiast for food, these food business ideas with low investment will be great for you, so try them when in need. Also, do let us in the comment if you already have any Food Business which are running successfully.

  • FoodPanda (Ola) – Are you Listening to Your Customers? 🐼

    India is a market where our homegrown companies are competing fiercely with multinational giants. For Ola there is Uber, for Flipkart there is Amazon and Swiggy is competing with ubereats. One thing which greatly differentiate Indian companies from MNCs is the service quality. We all agree to the fact that Amazon and Uber provide better customer service than their competitors. This was also found in a recent survey by redsheer, where NPS score of MNCs were higher. ✔️

    FoodPanda and Ola 🐼🤝🚗

    I was talking to my friend who is currently working with Ola and he said that sometimes he has to work for Foodpanda when workload is higher (If you don’t know ola acquired Foodpanda this year). I instantly asked him if he can provide me Foodpanda coupons. He laughed it off and said, “why do I need a coupon when Foodpanda is already giving away food for free”.

    After the call, I checked the app and I found this 😍

    Offers on Foodpanda app

    I was really happy after seeing this, I will save money and time, as I won’t have to look in the big 4 (Zomato, Foodpanda, Ubereats and Swiggy) for coupons and offers. FoodPanda was my goto place.

    Here is what I found one day! 🥧 Pastries in 5 rupees!  

    FoodPanda offer | Delivered pastries | FoodPanda delivery guys

    So we ordered like 25 pastries and we had party in the office that day. We could only order one item in one order but there wasn’t any restriction on the number of orders. 25 different delivery boys delivered those 25 packet worth 5 rupees (after discount).

    Inefficiency kills me! Even though we enjoyed pastries, It was really surprising that, foodpanda or any other food delivery app don’t have any option to club the orders if two orders are from point A to point B. What’s more funny is that the a delivery guy who is 5 km away is assigned to pick an order from a restaurant who is just 800 mts away!

    This clearly shows that foodpanda wants to increase it number of order no matter what, probably to show investors, raise more funding and burn more! This events reminds of one business leasson from ashish hemrajani, founder BookmyShow!

    Ashish Hemrajani, founder bookmyshow on doing business 

    In StartupTalky, I learned a trick to check click data of any bit.ly or goo.gl url shortener. Just add “+” sign after the url. Foodpanda send a goo.gl URL whenever you place an order (to track status of delivery guy).

    [I don’t understand any company will leave one real data point open?] I checked the data if the offers had done a great work, and yes they did. I am sure the team was able to increase the number of orders at least 3 fold! Congrats! You are now ready to raise more funds! 💸💰

    Data of url sent to customers after delivery

    Update: Well they recently removed the offers and we can see the clicks have gone below the average. 📉

    Data of url sent to customers after delivery

    Well, this the joy of ordering food for so cheap was very short lived. with scale came problems!

    FoodPanda Problems

    Foodpanda problems
    • Restaurant is closed still showing
    • Order not delivered
    • App not working
    • Late or No delivery
    • Coupon not working
    • Order cancellation and refund
    • Bad customer support
    • Difference in taxes with orders with and without coupon
    • Chef at work showing for the last 4 hours
    • Order is showing delivered in the app but not in reality

    Was I the only one? NO!

    Just to know that if Foodpanda is just messing with or with everyone, I checked their Facebook page to see and in a post with more than 170 comments not a single comment was positive. Just like me, other customers were also having all sorts of issue with the order. It was very hard for Foodpanda support team to handle all these queries.

    Customers comment from their facebook page

    I am sure their twitter handle is also filled only with such queries. One of the comments which made me laugh like anything was

    We know running a startup is a tough job. Keep Indian customer happy feels like heaven but Mr. Panda how to plan to compete with global players when the situation is so pathetic? 🤔

    What people think about Big 4, Food Delivery startups

    I conducted a poll in StartupTalky to understand what people think of all food delivery startups.While swiggy stands at 157, food panda just got 8 votes!

    Poll conducted in the group

    What was the matter?

    To know the reason, I again talked to my friend and here is what I got to know.

    After the acquisition, Ola had announced that it would invest $200 million – over Rs 1,400 crores – in Foodpanda to elevate its market presence. Discount was one easy way to get new users and engage existing users. So a campaign “The Crave Party” was launched to relaunched Foodpanda. It was launched across all major cities and all discounts were given by Foodpanda only (restaurant was not bearing any cost for discounts, they just have to pay 23% commission on the original cost which Foodpanda anyways takes as an aggregator).

    Woah! No words

    Now to fulfill the orders, Foodpanda started to recruit 60,000 delivery men by offering a substantially higher salary than anyone in the hyperlocal delivery business but solwly they started reducing the salary from INR 1320/day to INR 40/delivery which comes around INR 400-450/day. Here is what happned next (in diagram).

    Bad Experience, Bad Experience, Bad Experience!

    How one thing at the top of the funnel affects the whole food delivery business

    So you can see these are all operations are connected as a funnel. Also, we can see that foodtech startup is more about the operation than tech.

    Learnings  📖

    • Scale your business but not at the cost of customer satisfaction/happiness.
    • Things may go out of your control while you scale, always be prepared for that.
    • Treat your team well, be true with them. They are one who will stand with you when no one will.
    • Indians are understood to love offers and discount, but everyone on the planet expects a minimum level of service quality. Especially when you are in food delivery, No one likes free pizza when they are not hungry.
    • Marketing is important but it must be supported with the efficient operation and tech.

    Liked the article? Don’t forget to give feedback and share it with your friends! 🙂

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