Ola Pilots 15-Minute Grocery Delivery In Bengaluru

Mobility unicorn Ola has kickstarted its pilot for quick delivery service in parts of Bengaluru. The startup has started delivering items within 15 minutes. At present, Ola is delivering grocery, personal care and pet care products.

According to a PTI report, the unicorn cab aggregator is starting a pilot of its ‘Ola Store’ initially in a few major localities in the city and  will expand the services to other cities in the coming months. 

The new service can be availed through the Ola app, but the company has rolled it out for selected customers. Customers can choose from around 2,000 items, and the company will deliver the orders through Ola’s “strategically” placed dark stores. It is worth noting that the foray into the quick segment came months after Ola launched its used car marketplace – Ola Cars.

With Ola foraying into the quick delivery segment, it will lock its horns with the likes of Grofers, Swiggy’s Instamart, Dunzo, BigBasket, among others. 

The quick commerce concept has gained prominence in India in the last few months with every company coming up with strategies to minimise the delivery timelines. 

Bengaluru-based hyperlocal delivery startup Dunzo launched ‘Dunzo Daily’ to deliver essential products within 19 minutes. The startup is now aiming to set up 250 dark stores to increase its presence in 700 neighbourhoods across the country. 

Food delivery giant Swiggy has forayed into the segment with its Instamart. The startup claims to deliver grocery products within 15-30 mins whereas. Grocery delivery platform Grofers has recently started 10 minutes grocery delivery in 10 cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and others. 

Earlier this week, Mumbai-based Zepto bagged $60 Mn in its Series A round from Glade Brook Capital, Nexus, Y-Combinator among others. Founded this year by 19-year-old Stanford University dropouts Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, the startup claims to deliver grocery items within 10 minutes. The startup is currently operational in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Gurugram. 

As per a RedSeer report, the quick commerce market in India is expected to reach $5 Bn by 2025 from the current $0.3 Bn.

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