Swiggy launches alcohol delivery in Ranchi, in talks with other state govts

There will be a capping on the order quantity to ensure a customer does not order alcohol above the prescribed limit as per the state law.
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Expanding beyond food and grocery delivery, Swiggy is now launching home delivery of alcohol the app. Alcohol will be available on the ‘Wine Shops’ category of the Swiggy app.

For starters, the service has gone live in Ranchi, after obtaining necessary approvals from the Jharkhand government. Swiggy will also launch in major cities in the state within a week.

Swiggy is also in advanced stages of discussions with multiple state governments to provide support with online processing and home delivery of alcohol, which the company says it can immediately enable by leveraging its existing technology and logistics infrastructure and nationwide presence.

To ensure safe delivery of alcohol and in compliance with applicable laws, Swiggy has introduced measures such as mandatory age verification and user authentication to complete deliveries.

Customers can complete their age verification by uploading a picture of their valid government ID, followed by a selfie, which the platform will use for authentication using an AI-powered system.

All orders will carry a unique OTP that needs to be provided by the customer at the time of delivery.

There is also a capping on the order quantity to ensure a customer does not order alcohol above the prescribed limit as per the state law.

Speaking about the introduction of the category, Anuj Rathi, VP - Products, Swiggy said, “Since the beginning of the pandemic, Swiggy has relentlessly worked to solve customer pain points and support local governments in every way possible. Taking advantage of our existing technology and infrastructure to enable hyperlocal deliveries, we have been working closely with the local authorities to support them with initiatives like expansion of grocery delivery and COVID-19 relief efforts. By enabling home delivery of alcohol in a safe and responsible manner, we can generate additional business for retail outlets while solving the problem of overcrowding, thereby promoting social distancing.”

Swiggy is partnering with authorised retailers after validating their license and other required documents as outlined by the respective state governments. Delivery partners and retailers have been virtually trained to facilitate smooth processing and fulfilment of orders.

There were reports earlier of rival Zomato too, looking to foray into delivery of alcohol. Zomato had reportedly written a business proposal to the International Spirits and Wines Association of India in April stating that home delivery enabled by technology could be a solution to ‘promote responsible consumption of alcohol’. It plans to target areas that are less affected by coronavirus.

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