Zomato's 10-minute delivery plan: A speedy delivery or a speedy ride to death?

Zomato's ambitious plan announced on Tuesday to deliver food in 10 minutes was received with both a pinch of salt and scepticism from Twitterati. Netizens were quick to emphasize the fact that it isn't safe for the delivery partners considering the chaotic traffic and the poor condition of roads.

Suhel Seth, a businessman, responded to this by tweeting, "The 10-minute delivery offer from @zomato is both dangerous and unnecessary: more than anything, it will endanger the lives of both riders as also people on roads and so something best avoided. No one is in such a rush or such an idiot to decide what to eat only 10 mins before!"

In the face of critical opinion being expressed by netizens, Deepinder Goyal, founder-CEO of Zomato, defending the move, said, "The new plan will be for nearby locations and standardized menu items only. "There will be no penalties for late deliveries or there are incentives for on-time deliveries."

Goyal further said that they will be building new food stations in specific locations which could be dense urban areas with quick accessibility.

Ashika Appaiah, a senior executive of marketing, says, "We are progressing towards an 'instant' reality where gratification from social media is instant, replies from people are instant, similarly we are looking for food to be prepared in an instant." "The days of instant noodles are long gone, now we expect gourmet food to be delivered to our doorstep in an instant. Delivery partners already have a bad reputation due to their scooter-riding abilities and with this 10-minute plan, we will be witnessing recklessness and several traffic violations. If everyone hops on the trend of 10-minute delivery, the next possible trend could be a 5-minute, 2-minute, or even a 30-seconds delivery," she adds with a touch of sarcasm.

"When I went through different reports and articles on this, I realised that this offer is applicable to selected cities, outlets and food items only. But I still think that this is irrational. This also is similar to a rat race. Making things available quickly to the consumers only makes them more impatient about several things. Why is it necessary to deliver food within 10 minutes? I don't get the point," says Nishitha Krishnaswamy, a Ph.D scholar.

"Zepto and Swiggy are among the fastest grocery delivery services in India. Therefore, this is already available in the country. The positive side of this plan seems quite clear, the consumers get fresh food at their doorstep, which is at the tip of their finger (Thanks to technology). Although it might be a rational plan when it comes to the consumer's point of view, it doesn't seem very practical for the delivery partners," Shwetha .C tells The Hans India.

"Every delivery will end up being stressful for the delivery partners and this could promote violation of traffic rules. However, since it has only offered to deliver certain food items and build new food stations, it might be a good idea," says Nithin P.V.