Uninterrupted home delivery will ensure the economy doesn’t crumble

The focus by all Governments including the Karnataka Government this time around has been to support the economy. Since the economy last year was severely impacted due to nationwide lockdowns, Governments want to prioritise businesses to ensure that it doesn’t crumble once again. Despite cases going through the roof and the situation being worse than it can ever be, the Government is trying hard to ensure that the lowest rungs of society are not impacted due to closures. 

Items covered under ‘ALL’ home deliveries.

The fact that all kinds of home deliveries are supported is tremendous since it will be simpler for consumers to get all their necessary goods delivered to their doorstep. Ordering from food delivery platforms like Swiggy and Zomato will be uninterrupted during the lockdown. 

The next most important item on the list of consumers is liquor. The Karnataka Government has already anticipated the importance of liquor supply which is why they have given the go-ahead for liquor shops and outlets to provide home deliveries. Liquor shops will also stay open for takeaways. 

E-commerce firms supplying all kinds of goods like clothing, electronics, groceries, medicines and food are being allowed to deliver goods. 

Restaurants Hotels, and Eateries will stay open and will operate their kitchens for takeaway/home delivery of food items. 

HipBar, a digital platform for the delivery of liquor, has partnered with Flipkart for the doorstep delivery of liquor in states like Jharkhand and Odisha. Customers can now login to the Flipkart app to place liquor orders that will be delivered by HipBar. 

The excise duty of liquor is the second or third largest source of revenue to a state, however, the lockdown has left the state government to be cash strapped. To compensate for the losses, the Chhattisgarh government has launched an online platform and mobile application for the doorstep delivery of liquor. Through this government-driven initiative, people can buy liquor from the website and mobile application of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL). The customers will first need to register by filling in information such as mobile number, aadhar card, and full address. The online platform, for registering a user, will verify by OTP (one-time-password). For purchasing liquor, they can select a shop of their choice, browse the liquor list and place the order. 

Food aggregator apps like Swiggy and Zomato have broadened their horizons for delivery of liquor in east states such as Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, etc. 

Commercial city of India, Mumbai has an app Living Liquidz which has a robust chain of retail stores that houses 1000 brands of liquor under a single roof. After getting a green signal from the government, Living Liquidz has developed a website that focuses on delivery only. Its stores are present across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Vashi. A customer can order from the Living Liquidz website by logging on to the website, choosing the liquor, and scheduling a delivery slot. The minimum order for delivery is Rs 1500. Once the order is placed the details of the order are sent to the nearest store that is in proximity to the customer’s address.  

Mumbai’s famous Doolally, initially a brewing pub, is ramping up its business operations by selling its signature beers through its online portal. Doolally will deliver liquor if the customer is approximately 8-10 km radius from Doolally’s pub. The minimum delivery amount is Rs 800 from Doolally. 

Liquor consumption patterns in times of Covid 

As wedding ceremonies, birthday celebrations, weekend parties have taken a backseat in the pandemic, people have now been drinking in their homes within their close social circles and hosting smaller celebrations within the comfort of their homes. It will lead to an uptick in demand for growlers. A growler is an air-tight jug made of ceramic, glass, or aluminum that is used to transport draft beer from one place to another without compromising the beer quality. 

What is in it for the liquor industry? 

With fresh cases arising, we are not aware of the normalcy returning in the pubs and bars. Till then, the liquor industry in order to sustain needs to ramp their sales channels online be it through partnering with e-commerce majors like Amazon or food aggregators or create your online portal for convenient doorstep delivery of liquor. The liquor company should also keep in mind the changing preferences and tastes of consumers as the work-from-home model has led to reduced physical activities due to which they might want to keep a count on calories.