- Swiggy, a unicorn based in Bengaluru, has enabled alcohol online processing and home delivery through the category ‘Wine Shops’ on its app.
Swiggy, a unicorn based in Bengaluru, has enabled alcohol online processing and home delivery through the category ‘Wine Shops’ on its app. It began offering the service today in Ranchi after getting requisite approvals from the Jharkhand government. Within a week the service will extend to other major cities in the state.
Swiggy is also in the advanced stages of discussions with multiple governments to support online alcohol processing and home delivery that the company can immediately enable by leveraging its existing technology and logistics infrastructure and national presence.
Swiggy also implemented steps such as mandatory age verification and user authentication to complete deliveries to ensure the safe distribution of alcohol and per relevant laws. Customers can complete their instant age verification by uploading a picture of their valid government ID, followed by a selfie that will be used by the app to authenticate using an AI-powered device.
All orders may bear a specific OTP which the customer will supply at the time of delivery. There is also a capping on the quantity of the order to ensure that a consumer will not order alcohol above the permissible amount, as allowed by state law.
Customers in Ranchi can enter the category ‘Wine Shops’ by updating their Swiggy app to allow the use of this facility.
Speaking of the launch of the category, Anuj Rathi, VP-Goods, Swiggy said, “Swiggy has worked tirelessly since the beginning of the pandemic to address consumer pain points and to help local governments in every way possible. Taking advantage of our existing technology and infrastructure to allow hyperlocal deliveries, we worked closely with local authorities to assist them with initiatives such as increasing grocery delivery and relief efforts for COVID-19.
By facilitating healthy and responsible home delivery of alcohol, we can generate additional business for retail outlets while solving the overcrowding problem, thereby fostering social distancing.
After validating their license and other required documents as outlined by the respective state governments, Swiggy partnered with authorized retailers. Delivery partners and distributors were essentially equipped to promote smooth delivery and order fulfillment.
To help prevent the spread of the virus, Swiggy is actively training its distribution partners on the best health practices of the WHO and supplying masks and sanitizers for them. The company recently unveiled a new ‘safety gear audit’ feature inside the Delivery Partner app that searches for ‘mask use’ to improve Swiggy’s commitment to ensuring customer safety and delivery partners.
