Cos weather-proofing deliveries now

All-weather deliveries becoming a priority for delivery companies

All-weather fighter aircraft have been favourites of military generals. Companies eager to retain customers are increasingly borrowing and redirecting that strategy on the ground. With vagaries of nature rising and consumer preferences shifting to being served at home and office rather than themselves making trips to physical stores, companies are equipping themselves in different ways to ensure deliveries are not affected by shifting weather patterns.

The Economic Times has reported that companies are beginning to weather-proof their delivery models so that customers can depend on them in all weathers, fair or foul.

Large parts of India experience extreme fog during winter, very heavy rains and intense heat waves. The key target of the weather-tie ups is to ensure that delivery disruptions are minimised due to any weather conditions.

Swiggy has struck an alliance with a weather forecaster to get forecasts on a hyperlocal scale. The objective is clear: to ensure the deliveries are not disrupted, come hail or sunshine.

Not to be left behind, Swiggy’s head-on rival Zomato has also roped in the services of a weather expert who would equip the delivery force with prior information. Both companies have personnel to pass on the information to the delivery personnel so that they can forearm themselves according to the emerging weather condition.

“To mitigate weather-related disruptions to business, we provide additional monetary incentives to delivery partners,” said a Zomato spokesperson. Incidentally, Zomato also owns Blinkit, a grocery delivery app. Contests are also held to find out all-weather delivery personnel, whereby those who can make a pre-determined number of deliveries during rains would get rewards.

Companies that are critically dependent on timely delivery of their products have reason to get weather-sensitive. Recently, weather patterns are shifting across the globe with India being no exception. For example, this year, manufacturers of a large number of consumer items – both durable and non-durable – such as ACs, refrigerators, coolers, cool beverages, ice-creams – were severely affected due to untimely rains in the summer in a large region of north India.

Meteorologists are of the opinion that Asia is warming faster than the global average.