HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
Swiggy has started online processing and home delivery of alcohol through the ‘Wine Shops’ category in West Bengal, days after first launching its service in Jharkhand and Odisha. The service went live in Kolkata and Siliguri today after obtaining necessary approvals from the West Bengal government. Prioritizing the safe delivery of alcohol, Swiggy is leveraging its existing technology and logistics infrastructure to ensure all guidelines are maintained including social distancing.
Swiggy is partnering with authorised retailers across major cities after validating their license and other required documents as outlined by the state government. Retail partners will be equipped with a dedicated partner app that enables all aspects related to online processing of orders. The retail partners can directly manage product listing and update the availability of items in real-time by marking them ‘in stock’ or ‘out of stock’ through the app. Both the delivery partners and retailers are being virtually trained through their respective apps to facilitate smooth processing and fulfilment of orders.
Swiggy has implemented multiple safety measures to ensure safe home delivery of alcohol orders. Customers need to complete a one-time instant age verification by uploading a picture of their valid government ID, followed by a selfie which the platform will use for authentication. All orders will carry a unique OTP which needs to be provided by the customer at the time of delivery. There is also a capping on the order quantity to ensure a customer does not order alcohol above the prescribed limit as per the state’s excise law. Swiggy is also shortly incorporating a QR code scanner within the delivery partner app to check the authenticity of the products before delivering them to the customer.
Speaking about the launch, a Swiggy Spokesperson said, “Swiggy has been working closely with the West Bengal government since the beginning of the lockdown to provide support on multiple fronts. This includes delivering grocery and essentials, supporting the fisheries department for home delivery of seafood items, delivery of schoolbooks and distributing close to one lakh meals to the needy in Kolkata. Building on our successful launches in Jharkhand and Odisha we will now be enabling safe home delivery of alcohol in West Bengal. Starting with Kolkata and Siliguri, we will expand our services to 24 other cities across the state.”
Customers in West Bengal can access the ‘Wine Shops’ category by updating their Swiggy app.
