Watch: As India unlocks, Urban Company looks beyond core businesses to diversify revenues streams

With the phased lifting of the national lockdown that was imposed on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, on-demand services provider Urban Company has opened up its services. 

Order volumes continue to be depressed compared to the pre-crisis levels. But the Tiger Global Management and Vy Capital backed firm has started to pursue other verticals to diversify its business and generate orders, co-founder Abhiraj Bhal said in a recent conversation with TechCircle.

“At home e-commerce and beauty services have been accelerated by the pandemic,” Bhal said, adding that in the short and medium-term, beauty services spends will be restricted to essentials. 

The company, which had renewed its focus on beauty and home services as core categories in October last year, has started diversifying to launch new services. It now offers personal yoga, basic home cleaning services for those who do not have domestic help, sanitisation and disinfection services and workshops for children, among other services. 

“We cannot be married to our core services right now and are launching new verticals including elderly care… even mental health is something we might look at,” Bhal said.

The company registered 55% revenue contribution from its beauty and wellness business for the financial year 2019-2020.