Swiggy has built India’s largest delivery fleet of 1.25 Lakh active partners spread across 100 plus cities. As the pioneer in investing in a dedicated delivery fleet since its inception in 2014, Swiggy believes delivery partners are its backbone and a vital cog in the brand’s meteoric rise in the past few years.
The food delivery platform has consistently invested in strengthening this network as well as rewarding its delivery fleet while creating a gender harmonious network where everyone has an equal opportunity at building a stable source of income.
Under the over-arching theme of Ride to Your Dreams, 12 months ago, Swiggy launched an industry-defining program for its delivery partners. Swiggy Smiles. A first in food-tech, it was implemented after an in-depth exercise in understanding some of the most vital needs and wishes of the delivery partner community. The initiative focuses on their welfare, personal development and motivation.
The program has been a resounding success as it marks its one-year anniversary, with more than 55,000 delivery partners having availed benefits across the board. Rewards for delivery partners who provide pickup and delivery services on a principle to principle basis include exclusive vouchers and special privileges based on various parameters like frequency, order completion and their tenure of association. Till date, Swiggy’s delivery partners have availed benefits worth Rs 14 crore (USD 2 Million) on a host of rewards such as shopping, education and upskilling.
“As the pioneer in investing in a dedicated delivery fleet since the start of our journey, Swiggy engages with the largest last mile-delivery fleet in the country. This puts us in a position of advantage when it comes to understanding what our 1.25 lakh active delivery partners need and aspire for,” said Sachin Kotangale, VP, Operations, Swiggy. He added, “Delivering millions of orders each month, we have always believed that our delivery partners are the backbone of Swiggy. Swiggy Smiles is a concrete step in our long-term vision of creating a marketplace that will provide them with best-in-class benefits.”
The food delivery giant recently tied up with the Bank of Baroda to facilitate easy access to bike loans for its delivery partners. Swiggy provides the bank with details such as credit history and earning capacity of delivery partners, helping them secure bike loans swiftly and at competent rates.
Separately, over the past year, Swiggy has facilitated securing personal loans worth more than Rs 3.7 crore for its delivery partners through Swiggy Smiles. The program also provides an array of additional benefits to delivery partners aimed at their physical well-being, safety, comfort and education. With life insurance, accident and medical insurance, along with on-call doctors for the delivery partners and their families, the program helps the delivery partners deal with any medical emergency without having to worry about the financial implications.
Through Swiggy Smiles, Swiggy also facilitates access to educational loans for delivery partners and their children, enabling them to take a step towards upskilling themselves. Apart from this, Swiggy also provides seasonal benefits like movie tickets, e-commerce and grocery vouchers to its delivery partners.
A few weeks ago, Swiggy rolled out its revamped partner app to increase operational efficiencies and earnings for delivery partners. With an intuitive and clutter free interface, key highlights of the app include- a ‘heatmap’ feature that directs partners to locations with a high density of orders, enabling them to earn more. The app also presents details on the delivery partner’s daily and delivery-wise fee, orders and incentives upfront on its home screen. With an integrated navigation to avoid pains of patchy internet connectivity, the app uses a dark-mode interface for absolute readability and lesser battery drain.