SUMMARY
Displaying body temperature of riders is another way to gain consumer trust
Zomato and Swiggy are taking a slew of measures to ensure hygiene standards are maintained
Delivery platforms in China pioneered the idea of showing body temperatures for riders earlier this year
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Taking lessons from China’s hyperlocal delivery startups, food and grocery delivery platform Zomato is now displaying body temperatures of delivery-partners for users as a measure to gain the trust of consumers amid the ongoing pandemic.
Zomato users can see the temperature of the delivery-partner only after the order has been picked up from the restaurant. Most delivery-partners are showing normal body temperature — 98.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
According to Zomato, thermal sensing devices have been made available at thousands of restaurants to check body temperatures of delivery-partners before they pick up the order. The food delivery unicorn says that pickup of orders is only allowed if body temperature of the delivery-partner is normal.
Zomato and its rival Swiggy have already taken a slew of measures to ensure hygiene standards are maintained amid the pandemic. For instance, both companies have started contactless delivery wherein delivery-partners are dropping food orders on the gates, instead of handing it to the customers.
Also, Zomato and Swiggy claim that they are also following best practices such as hand wash, using sanitisers, among others so that they don’t end up becoming a medium for the transfer of the virus. Besides delivery-partners, restaurant-partners are also said to be following safety practices as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The cloud kitchens and restaurants listings also come with flags about the various sanitisation measures taken by the proprietor.
Will Swiggy, Dunzo Follow Suit?
As of now, only Zomato is displaying the body-temperature of its delivery partners. But looking at the feature parity between Swiggy and Zomato, such as the expansion in the grocery delivery space, one might see similar body temperature readings on Swiggy as well as other delivery apps such as Dunzo.
Prior to Zomato, the same feature was adopted by hyperlocal delivery apps in China. In a tweet, Bevy Labs cofounder Derek Andersen had posted a screenshot of an app from China wherein the body temperature of a delivery-partner is clearly visible.
Friend in China just shared screenshot from a local delivery service. The delivery person's body temperature is now displayed in the mobile app on delivery details screen. ??? #COVID #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/ChEmrKPeoK
— Derek Andersen (@DerekjAndersen) April 8, 2020
