Food ordering apps Swiggy and Zomato have started home delivery of alcohol in Odisha, days after first launching the service in Jharkhand.
While both companies have begun liquor delivery in Bhubaneswar, other cities including Rourkela, Balasore, Balangir, Sambalpur, Berhampur and Cuttack are next in line.
The central government’s move to allow sale of liquor during the nationwide lockdown had led to long queues and overcrowding outside wine shops across the country.
ET had first reported that states including Haryana, Odisha among others are also likely to allow doorstep alcohol delivery.
“We are working very closely with excise departments to ensure end-to-end compliance to the safety guidelines and are also introducing consumption and identity verification protocols to promote responsible ordering and consumption,” said Rakesh Ranjan, vice-president at Zomato.
While alcohol delivery yields high average order value and increased retention, it is a hard category to launch given the concerns around underage drinking, driver-partner safety among other things.
“By enabling home delivery of alcohol in a safe and responsible manner, we can generate additional business for retail outlets while solving the problem of overcrowding,” Anuj Rathi, vice-president – Products at Swiggy, had said in an statement.
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