Grocery Delivery In Monsoon 2022: How Milkbasket Pulled It Off | A Tribute Video For Our Delivery Partners

As an organization, we are in the midst of a phase of great transformations and growth. Therefore, it becomes all the more necessary for us to establish and fortify our core values. Our new video is a tribute to our valiant and vivacious delivery partners who have been the front runners in making daily-essentials and grocery delivery in monsoon a reality for our customers.

Watch it here:

India is a region of rich diversity – whether it’s in the ways of culture and food habits or the weather conditions. With the monsoon season bringing unprecedented and unexpected challenges this year in many parts of India, the Milkbasket team amped up its efforts to provide relief and a ray of hope to our customers who had to bear the brunt of these conditions. Let’s take a sneak peek into what went into making it possible this year.

Operation Monsoon: The Logistics of Milkbasket’s Grocery Delivery during Monsoons

Saluting our Monsoon first-responders: the Daredevil Delivery Partners

Our delivery partners are a special breed of those front liners who provide relief to people in situations of distress. At Milkbasket, we ensure that their contribution is acknowledged, lauded, and rightly rewarded.

Mr Naveen Panwar, Head of Operations, reminisces, “Serving our customers has always been the central motivation of our brand. It becomes all the more important when people at large are facing tough times, such as COVID in 2020 or heavy rainfall in cities this year. Jumping into action and quick problem-solving requires motivation, commitment, and various departments coming together to work as a singular, rock-solid unit. I remember being overwhelmed and deeply moved by the resolve and the spirit of service in the Operations Team, especially our delivery executives, when our customers were in need.”

Mr Sanchit Gupta, Operations Lead – Process Excellence & Expansion, adds, “It was rightfully in line to reward our delivery partners for their service during the time. Not only were they highly incentivized, but we also realized that simple things can go a long way. They were provided with all sorts of safety essentials such as heavy-duty raincoats, change of boots, first-aid, etc. so that they can do their duties safely and well.”

Customer Centricity and Service Excellence: The Two Milkbasket Pillars

With a presence now in 25 Indian cities, we have added 12 new cities so far to our kitty by September 2022 itself. With many more city launches planned this year at a macro scale, we are also expanding to more pin codes within hubs on the micro level as well. However, this year all of us were faced with the trying challenge of torrential rains in many parts of the country – disrupting urban life as we know it. 

While customers struggled with knee-deep waters in their houses, we saw it as an opportunity to provide relief by bringing them their necessary daily needs while the situation improved. It required an evolved level of resolve, resources, and team-building to make it happen. 

Stocking up for the days of Monsoon deliveries

While many of our teams worked in the background – from Growth & Strategy as they informed customers of our upcoming plans and kept them up to date, to the procurement team working thrice as hard to keep the warehouses stocked with all the products that the customers needed during this time. 

Mr Rajneesh Goyal, Manager of Procurement at Milkbasket, recalls, “It wasn’t just about getting the grocery and food items to our customers. It was about being able to provide the essentials for their infants and young children, the supplies that were needed by senior citizens and customers with illnesses, as well as simple over-the-counter health essentials. For example, the demand for daily essentials like Milk, Fruits & Vegetables, Staples etc. increased drastically in cities affected the most by monsoon.”

Rajiv Joshi, Head of Buying & Merchandising, adds, “Due to waterlogging and major routes being blocked, it wasn’t just our delivery that was affected but also our procurement. The Dairy plants that supply Milk and Dairy Goods to our warehouses, or Farms & Mandis that supply fresh produce to us, had no way of replenishing our fulfilment centres. So, our team went the extra mile to map out alternate routes so that procurement operations could happen, even though with a greater challenge than usual, so that our customer’s needs could be met during the toughest times.”

“Though we plan well ahead in time and keep our stores stocked for situations like these, we also cannot compromise on our promise of freshness when it comes to fresh products such as Fruits, Vegetables, Milk etc. Working with a team as passionate as ours turns out to be a blessing during these trying times. Teamwork makes the dream work, right?” he adds, with a smile.

Getting essentials to our customers during the monsoon

During these times, our Operations Teams in over 25 cities across India were also working almost five times as hard. On a typical day, we have about 7 hours to pack, dispatch and deliver to our customers on time. That is, from midnight till 7 AM. But when it’s pouring heavy, things get a little tricky.

As was seen this season, during rains, people faced extreme difficulty getting essentials delivered to their homes. As most on-demand deliveries happen on bikes, it is difficult to manage end-to-end last-mile deliveries, especially in areas affected badly. However, Milkbasket’s micro-delivery delivery model gives us a logistical upper hand during these situations. 

Most of the deliveries happen with trucks and low commercial vehicles. They are easier to navigate and maneuver during rainy days. Based on order volumes, each vehicle is able to cater to multiple clusters within a single hub. This means that a lot of residential colonies and societies can be serviced using a single LCV.

Know more about Milkbasket and its services on our Youtube Channel.