The best part about ecommerce industry is its flexibility; considering that the industry is itself new, there are infact no rules or protocols which can limit it’s expansion.
When Dr. E. Sreedharan started the work on Delhi Metro in 1998; and when ex-PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee inaugurated Delhi Metro in 2002, no one would have thought about the possibilities which this massive network can bring along.
Certainly no one, even in their craziest of dreams, would have thought that Delhi Metro will transform themselves into pickup hubs for ecommerce portals!
In one of the most innovative steps ever taken, Delhi Metro has announced that customers will soon be able to pick their online orders from their premises. In fact, customers would be able to pay for their orders at Delhi Metro premises as well, as facility to accept payments via debit/credit card has been provisioned, besides cash on delivery.
A metro official shared, “This is a move to provide last-mile delivery option to the customers of e-tailers which will act as a revenue generation model for DMRC as we are providing the space for setting up these kiosks”
As of now, around 24 lakh people use Delhi Metro daily as the massive network covers 213 kms within Delhi-NCR across 160 stations. Considering the expansion of ecommerce and the logistics challenges faced by the portals, this new arrangement can be a master stroke.
Where Will The Orders Arrive?
To start this pilot project, Delhi Metro has designated 10 stations as pick up hubs for ecommerce orders. These are: MG Road, HUDA City Centre, Noida Sector 18, Laxmi Nagar, Vaishali, Nehru Place, Dwarka Sector 9, Kashmere Gate, Rajiv Chowk and GTB Nagar.
A special ‘Automated Parcel Delivery Terminals’ would be created in these 10 stations, wherein Metro officials would handover the products to the authentic customers. Talks are on regarding creation of a special bar-code or an OTP type password to identify actual customers.
Who Will Get Benefitted?
If you are from Delhi and travel by Delhi Metro, then you can easily identify these 10 stations which would accept and deliver ecommerce orders. These are some of the busiest intersections of the metro route, wherein lakhs of commuters travel by daily.
This plan would suit those busy customers, who can order a product from their office, and pick up the delivery while travelling back.
Additionally, logistics teams of various ecommerce portals will find it easier to deliver the products at one central hub, rather than delivering to individual addresses.
Its simply a win-win situation for all.
Which eCommerce Portals Would Participate?
Interestingly, Metro officials have refused to share the names of the ecommerce portals which will partner with Delhi Metro for providing this unique pick-up service.
Last year, Paytm had collaborated with Delhi Metro for recharging Metro tickets using their mobile wallets. Hence, speculations are rife that Paytm would be a strong contender.
However, Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal won’t lie low and we are sure that they will be soon talking with Delhi Metro to finalize this project.
We will keep you updated as more details come in..
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