In India’s congested cities, delivery apps cash in

MUMBAI: In India´s sprawling financial hub of Mumbai armies of “dabbawalas” have for decades crisscrossed the city by foot and bicycle, delivering home-cooked food to office workers who are keen to avoid the searing heat and traffic-snarled streets.

Now, across the country, young entrepreneurs are taking that tradition to the next level with the explosion of shopping apps that allow customers to get hold of not only food and drink but anything else from clothes to iPhones -- within minutes.

The so-called quick commerce apps are redefining the retail game, not only disrupting e-commerce titans such as Amazon with their speed and efficiency but also long-established “mom and pop” stores which are no longer convenient enough.

At a warehouse managed by online grocer BigBasket in central Mumbai, employees work with military-like precision to pull off deliveries in just 10 minutes. These warehouses are known within the industry as “dark stores”, a reference to being closed off to customers. When a new order is received, a worker leaps into action, darting through aisles filled with everything from fizzy drinks to vegetables, packing a bag of groceries handed to a motorbike rider -- the modern-day “dabbawala”, Hindi for “lunchbox man”.

Local tech companies have poured in billions to set up these nifty logistical networks across big cities, fuelling India´s rapid shopping industry. For millions of customers, it´s an easy way to avoid shopping in the sweltering heat -- visiting multiple food stalls -- and spending hours navigating the country´s notorious traffic jams. Growth has been “very strong”, BigBasket co-founder Vipul Parekh told AFP, pointing to forecasts that indicate a compounded annual growth rate of more than 60 percent over the next two to three years.