Door delivery services have witnessed a spike in demand during the pandemic, with people preferring to shop from the comfort of their homes without needing to step outside.
The biggest reason for the rise in patronage of door delivery services was due to the fear of visiting crowded marketplaces. This is where the online platforms came as a boon for citizens.
While established players like Big Basket, Jio Mart and Swiggy were already popular, other local players such as Lalitha Greens also managed to do good business.
“Whatever one may say, it is difficult to maintain physical distancing at vegetable shops. One may wait patiently for his/her turn to pick up vegetables but someone else may break the queue or stand too close for comfort, ignoring the threat of the pandemic,” said D. Naga Jyothi, an insurance agent living in MVP Colony.
“Vendors do not let you select the fresh vegetables and you have to grudgingly take what they give. On the contrary, one can see the list of vegetables available, their prices and also the new varieties of fruits and vegetables available on the website or app of the store concerned,” she says.
“We can see the day’s price and availability of various varieties of vegetables and new varieties of fruits. The transport charge is free for orders worth more than ₹300. We get our needs for the week and a few kilograms of tomatoes, onions and one or two other varieties will cost more than ₹300,” said Ms. Naga Jyothi, who orders her requirements from Lalitha Greens.
“Customers are happy to get good quality and do not seem to mind paying a little extra as it saves them the hassle of commuting to the bazaar and back and the prospect of contracting the virus in the crowded places. We have around 5,000 online customers,” said K. Lalitha, proprietor of Lalitha Greens.
“We get around 70 online orders a day on an average and deliver through our four stores in the city. Customers place their orders a day in advance for delivery on the next day,” said Raghu, store manager of Jio Mart, Santhinagar.
