B2B grocery startup Jumbotail starts direct delivery to residential areas

Business-to-business (B2B) grocery delivery startup Jumbotail has started delivering vegetables and other staples to residential areas in the wake of nationwide lockdown. 

The startup has deployed its digital retail stores within apartment complexes to aggregate orders. Additionally, Jumbotail will also deliver staples to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure food supply to vulnerable communities, a statement said.

Earlier today, 63Ideas Infolabs-owned Ninjakart, another player in the B2B grocery segment, also started direct delivery to apartments.

On Tuesday. the central government declared a 21-day nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19. 

Despite the lockdown, Jumbotail said that it is delivering to 4,000 Kirana stores every day and is in the need for more manpower and vehicles to keep pace with the rising demand. 

“We are partners to more than 24,000 stores across Bangalore, Mysore, Hyderabad. Order volumes have more than doubled in recent days,” the company’s co-founder Ashish Jhina said. 

According to the guidelines issued by the central government, shops (including ration shops under public distribution system) dealing in grocery, food, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, meat and fish and animal fodder are exempted from the lockdown. Ecommerce players are also allowed to deliver essential goods such as food and medicines. 

The guidelines encourage home delivery to reduce social gatherings. However, overburdened supply chains have crippled grocery delivery services.