Snapdeal Enters Hyperlocal Delivery Space With 'Instant'

To start with, the service would be available in three cities - Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore - and then extended to eight major cities in the next two months.

Customers will not have to shell out extra for getting their products delivered faster, but this service is currently limited to packages weighing below 5kg. Based on hyperlocal delivery approach, Snapdeal will allow sellers to ship the product directly to consumers through its courier partners or via its fulfilment centres.

"Snapdeal Instant is aimed at further improving customer experience on our platform by enabling faster deliveries and maintaining product quality at the same time. Customers could get their products delivered as early as within an hour of the order being placed," Snapdeal Vice President Operations Ashish Chitravanshi told PTI.

He said the company has seen huge success with innovative initiatives in supply chain management like the 4-hour delivery and 90-minute reverse pick up facilities and this new service is another step in that direction.

Earlier this month, Snapdeal relaunched Shopo on Wednesday, following its acquisition in 2013. Shopo, a marketplace for artisanal goods has been compared to Etsy. The company is expecting the platform to host 1 million shops online in the next year.

Shopo charges no fees or commission for use of its platform, and lets small businesses and individuals set up an online shop instantly through its app, available on Android and iOS.

Written with inputs from PTI