Dunzo reports 320% rise in delivering medicines, groceries in India

E-commerce firm backed by Google says it handled more than 20,000 orders to hospitals between March and May.

Dunzo, the e-commerce firm backed by Google, has said orders for delivering medicines grew 350 per cent since January 2021 when India entered the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Consumables, including groceries and fresh produce, and daily staples grew 318 per cent as of April 2021. Between March and May, Dunzo delivered more than 20,000 orders to hospitals. The company said coupled with the delivery of home-cooked meals, oximeters, and other medical led to 204 per cent growth in pickups and drops.

Dunzo said it has become an essential service and not just a convenience. “At the heart of Dunzo’s operations lies our mission to make digital interactions with the offline world more convenient, safe, and seamless,” said Kabeer Biswas, chief executive officer and co-founder, Dunzo.

“With more micro-fulfillment centers in the pipeline, a stronger hold on supply chains, and moving closer to our goal of 15-min deliveries, we’re gearing up to build a better, safer world of on-demand commerce and convenience for India,” he said.

Dunzo’s  (business-to-business) logistics service has also grown twofold by working with volunteers, NGOs and other organisations to deliver essentials.

As Dunzo strengthens its operations to ensure it’s able to deliver for everyone in the community. It is harnessing the power of micro-fulfillment centers (MFCs) to act on the urgency of demand. Deploying 250 micro-fulfillment centers to serve 700 plus neighborhoods, Dunzo’s MFCs will stock the top 1500 SKUs (stock keeping units) to enable a more consistent ordering experience as well as deliveries under 20 minutes. Through this model, Dunzo is building the largest online convenience store in India powered by local neighborhoods and merchants, with plans of expanding operations to 20 cities by 2022.

India’s e-commerce market is expected to by 84 per cent by 2024 to $111 billion, according to a new report by financial technology firm FIS.

Swiggy Genie, the food delivery firm's pick up and drop service, has become an essential service for consumers all across the country.