Most e-commerce apps for essentials and on-demand apps have seen a massive surge in demand, especially due to localised lockdowns in many states. Hyperlocal delivery platform Dunzo reported that it has witnessed a growth of 350% in medicine orders alone since January 2021. Orders of consumables such as groceries, fresh produce and daily staples have grown 318% as of April 2021, the company said. 

Dunzo added that during the second wave and the lockdowns, app opens have doubled since March 2021 “as more users seek out the platform organically to order or deliver home-cooked meals, medical aid, and other essentials to their loved ones. It added that between March and May, over 20,000 orders have been delivered to hospitals. In its pick and drop orders, Dunzo said it saw a growth of 204% due to orders to hospitals along with the delivery of home-cooked meals, oximeters, and other medical aid.  The company that its B2B vertical has also grown 2x and has been working with volunteers, NGOs and other organizations to deliver essentials. 

Dunzo also announced that it plans to launch micro-fulfilment centres to act on demand, and is looking to service over 700 neighbourhoods. The company said that these micro-fulfilment centres will have the top 1,500 stock-keeping units from local merchants to “enable a more consistent ordering experience as well as deliveries under 20 minutes”. 

Dunzo said it is looking to build the largest online convenience platform in the country through neighbourhoods and local merchants, and is looking to expand operations to 20 cities by 2022. 

“With more micro-fulfilment centres in the pipeline, stronger supply chain management, we're moving closer to our goal of 15-min deliveries and gearing up to build a better, safer world of on-demand commerce and convenience for India,” said Dunzo CEO and co-founder Kabeer Biswas.