Flipkart partners Meru for essentials delivery

Walmart-owned Flipkart on Wednesday said it has partnered with cab operator Meru to deliver grocery and essential items to customers in Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR and Hyderabad amid the nationwide lockdown.

Previously, the e-commerce major had tied up with Uber for a similar service for people in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi.

Flipkart and Meru have partnered to provide people access to grocery and essential items as people stay indoors, supporting 'social distancing' during the ongoing lockdown, a statement said.

It added that this partnership will help in delivery to Flipkart customers at their doorstep across Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR and Hyderabad through the safe and sanitized supply chain.

"Flipkart Group is committed to customers as India fights this unprecedented battle. This partnership with Meru is a result of our teams exploring new, innovative ways to drive value for our ecosystem of sellers, brands, partners, and customers to ensure the safe and swift availability of grocery and essential goods," Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy said.

The company has a very secure and safe supply chain where standard operating procedures are followed diligently, he added.

"Meru will use its fleet to ensure the timely and safe delivery of essentials to Flipkart's large customer base in a hassle-free manner. This service will also offer our driver-partners an additional earning opportunity during this challenging time," Meru Mobility Tech founder and CEO Neeraj Gupta said.

In line with the government guidelines, Meru is providing its ozone sanitised fleet to help Flipkart with their deliveries. The dispatch hubs have been installed with Ozone Air Purifier, encouraging all driver-partners to sanitise their cabs, the statement said.

Meru driver-partners will undergo Flipkart's training module for a better understanding of its processes for safe and timely delivery of the grocery items, while the cab operator is educating and updating its driver-partners on various preventive measures like using alcohol-based sanitizers and wearing face masks to curb the spread of the virus, it added.

E-commerce companies are allowed to sell only essential items like grocery, healthcare and pharmaceutical products amid the nationwide lockdown - likely to end on May 3 - that has been imposed to contain the spread of coronavirus infection.