Zomato, Swiggy and Big Basket delivery riders zooming ahead through congested roads is a common sight for most residents of India's urban pockets. But this has also raised concerns about the safety of gig workers, who are exposed to accident risks as they go to fast to deliver food and groceries on time. As Zomato is yet to achieve profitability and its stock prices fell by 40 per cent less than a year after the IPO, it has decided to do away with 10-minute deliveries.
The food delivery giant, which had also left the grocery business only to acquire BlinkIt and rival Swiggy Instamart, had launched quick deliveries less than a year back. The company wasn't able to break even, since the order volume couldn't rise enough to cover fixed costs every day. But Zomato has claimed that it isn't shutting down 10-minute deliveries, but only rebranding.
After this, Zomato is reportedly looking at a new service, which could offer low-cost packaged combos or thalis. This feature may be launched in the next 10 days. The quick delivery service had been based on demand predictions and hyperlocal favourites, to keep 20 to 30 popular items in stock to be dispatched fast.
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