- Swiggy has started online processing and home delivery of alcohol in West Bengal through the ‘Wine Shops’ category, days after starting its service in Jharkhand and Odisha.
- Today the service went live in Kolkata and Siliguri after the West Bengal government had obtained the necessary approvals.
Swiggy has started online processing and home delivery of alcohol in West Bengal through the ‘Wine Shops’ category, days after starting its service in Jharkhand and Odisha.
Today the service went live in Kolkata and Siliguri after the West Bengal government had obtained the necessary approvals. Prioritizing the safe supply of alcohol, Swiggy leverages its proven technology and logistics infrastructure to ensure that all protocols, including social distancing, are upheld.
After validating their license and other required documents as outlined by the state government, Swiggy partnered with authorized retailers across major cities. Retail partners must be provided with a Retailer App that enables all aspects of order fulfillment online. Retail partners can monitor product listing directly, and update item inventory in real-time. There is virtual training for both the delivery partners and retailers.
Customers must complete a one-time age verification by uploading a picture of their valid government ID, followed by a selfie that will be used for authentication by the app. All orders shall bear an OTP which the customer must provide at the time of delivery. There is also a capping on the quantity of the order to ensure that a customer does not order alcohol above the prescribed limit according to the excise law of the State. Within the delivery partner app, Swiggy plans to incorporate a QR code scanner to check the authenticity of the products before they are delivered to the client.
A spokesperson for Swiggy said in a statement, “Swiggy has been working with the government of West Bengal to provide help on multiple fronts. This includes delivering grocery, supporting the fisheries department to deliver seafood items home, delivering schoolbooks, and distributing close-up meals to the needy in Kolkata.
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.
It seems that COVID19 has opened new avenues for companies apart from food delivery. Alcohol Online delivery has a lot of potentials and it remains an untapped market for startups.
