quick commerce companiesImage Credit source: AI
The increasing heat in the country has put brakes on the speed of the 10-minute delivery model. Due to the severe heatwave, delivery partners are avoiding working during the afternoon peak hours, due to which the supply chain of quick commerce companies is being affected. Demand is continuously increasing, but delivery people are falling short. To handle the situation, companies are increasing incentives and facilities, yet the crisis does not seem to be reducing.
Companies that promise 10-minute delivery are facing shortage of delivery partners these days. Especially during the afternoon, when the temperature is at its peak, a large number of delivery partners are avoiding work. With the increase in demand in summer, the need for delivery also increases by 15-20%. But this time the situation is different. Due to strong sunlight and heat wave, many delivery partners have reduced their work in the afternoon. Some partners have also returned to their home states due to elections and crop harvesting, which has further increased the shortage in metro cities.
To deal with this situation, companies are giving additional incentives. Riders who usually earn Rs 20-30 on a delivery are now being given an additional Rs 8-15 in the afternoon. Apart from this, companies are also providing facilities like hydration, breaks and health support.
Companies took these steps
E-commerce companies like Amazon, Flipkart Minutes and BigBasket have taken several steps to protect delivery partners. These include heat-index monitoring, doctor’s advice, electrolytes and resting facility. Despite this, the availability of partners remains limited due to the scorching heat. On the other hand, demand is increasing rapidly. The demand for products like ice cream, cold drinks, juice, fans and coolers has suddenly increased. For this, companies have also increased cold storage and refrigeration capacity. Many platforms have also created a separate section of summer essentials in their apps so that customers can get quick delivery.
However, pressure on the supply chain is also increasing. Companies say that due to the sudden increase in temperature, demand has increased by 2-3 times than expected, making it challenging to manage production and distribution. Meanwhile, the app-based Transport Workers Union has demanded the government to make heatwave protection mandatory for gig workers. Overall, the rising heat has exposed the weaknesses of the 10-minute delivery model, where demand is strong, but maintaining supply has become a big challenge for companies.
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