Grofers Says Lockdown Fears Ahead of PM Modi's Speech Yesterday Drove Huge Surge in User-Created Carts

Grofers CEO and Co-Founder Albinder Dhindsa has announced that the delivery platform witnessed a massive surge in user created-carts hours before PM Narendra Modi’s address to the nation on Tuesday, April 20 at 8:45 PM. Dhindsa, in a tweet, announced that over six lakh carts (with food and essential items) were created and waiting to check out if a lockdown was announced by the PM. Ahead of the speech, social media was abuzz with rumours of another nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 infection. However, no lockdowns were announced, and the Indian government has urged citizens to follow strict social distancing protocols. On the other hand, Delhi and Mumbai are under lockdown as the two cities’ health infrastructure are under immense pressure due to a surge in daily COVID-19 cases. As per the MoHFW data (as of April 21 at 8 AM), Delhi had roughly 85,600 active cases, and Maharashtra has over 6,85,600 cases.

The Grofers senior executive also shared the company’s internal analytics that highlights a significant surge in activities post 3 PM. The company has not shared any details on how the platform performed during PM Modi’s speech on Tuesday.

Since March 2020, multiple news reports have pointed out the case of hoarding by citizens, fearing a shortage of supplies during the lockdown. However, the government has kept saying that essential supplies would continue to be sold via online platforms and regular grocery across the country. Banking on the opportunity, e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart have also ramped up their hyperlocal delivery service to reach out to more customers. Flipkart also rolled out its Flipkart Quick service in six more Indian cities earlier this week that promises to deliver goods in under 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, several brands like BigBasket have announced a delay in delivery due to COVID 19-lockdown restrictions (or curfew) placed by the government in many states. Amazon and Flipkart have also suspended delivery of non-essential items like electronics and clothes in Delhi and Mumbai. The due are continuing to sell essential good, groceries, and vegetables in the two cities.

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