Coronavirus: Flipkart forms partnership with Meru to deliver essentials and grocery

India’s leading ecommerce marketplace Flipkart has entered into a partnership with ap- based cab operator Meru Cab to enable the delivery of grocery and essentials as both the companies navigate through the various challenges posed by the nationwide lockdown to combat coronavirus.

Under this partnership, Meru will deliver grocery and essentials to Flipkart customers across the cities of Bengaluru, Delhi, NCR, and Hyderabad.

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A statement from Flipkart said this partnership will create innovative models of collaboration to serve citizens during this unprecedented crisis. “The synergies between both organisations will ensure that essential supply chains are functional while supporting driver-partners with income opportunities,” the statement said.

On the partnership, Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart Group, said, “This partnership with Meru is a result of our teams exploring new, innovative ways to drive value for our ecosystem of sellers, brands, partners, and customers to ensure the safe and swift availability of grocery and essential goods. We have a very secure and safe supply chain where we follow SOPs diligently. We stand by the nation in this fight against COVID-19 as we prioritise the wellbeing and safety of all including our customers and employees.”

Coronavirus has brought out different kind of partnerships within the new age economy like startups, ecommerce, ride hailing, hyperlocal delivery etc. Flipkart also partnerships with Uber to deliver essentials and groceries.

In a similar mode, Uber also has partnerships with grocery delivery startup BigBasket and offline retailer Spencer.

Meru, which is majority-owned by Mahindra & Mahindra will be providing its ozone sanitised fleet to help Flipkart with their deliveries. Meru driver-partners will undergo Flipkart’s training module for a better understanding of its processes for safe and timely delivery of the grocery items, the statement said.

On the partnership, Neeraj Gupta, Founder and CEO at Meru Mobility, said, “This is a unique initiative, which we are undertaking with Flipkart which will benefit consumers immensely. This service will also offer our driver-partners an additional earning opportunity during this challenging time.”