Fancy a Drink? Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit and BigBasket May Soon Be Able to Quench Your Thirst For Liquor Online food and grocery delivery platforms, Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit and BigBasket could potentially deliver alcohol in the near future

Online food and grocery delivery platforms are in talks with liquor companies and local authorities for the online delivery of alcohol. Delivery giants such as Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit and BigBasket are considering a pilot project for the same in New Delhi, Karnataka, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Kerala. Industry executive, Ratna Bhushan told ET that in the initial phases, the focus will only be on low-alcohol beverages such as beer, wine, and liqueurs.

Two sides of a coin

A great debate is taking place on whether the online delivery of alcoholic beverages is positive or negative. State authorities are gathering feedback from e-commerce platforms and spirits manufacturers about the potential benefits and drawbacks of online alcohol delivery. An executive told ET, "This is to cater to a growing expat population especially in larger cities, changing profiles of consumers who perceive moderate alcohol-content spirits as recreational drinking along with meals, and women and senior citizens who have flagged buying from traditional liquor vends and shop-front experiences as unpleasant." Currently, Odisha and West Bengal allow home delivery of alcohol.

However, not everybody will be able to order online liquor delivery. Various factors and authentication such as transaction records, age verification and adherence to legal limits will be imposed to regulate the delivery of alcohol. Dinker Vashisht, vice-president of corporate affairs at Swiggy, stated ET that, "Online tech stacks synchronise with regulatory and excise requirements, ensuring adherence to timings, dry days, and zonal delivery guardrails." Swiggy and Spencer's Retail already deliver spirits in West Bengal.

On the other hand, beer and wine producers, including United Breweries (Kingfisher) and AB InBev (Budweiser), are in support of alcohol home delivery. Since beer is one of the most commonly consumed alcoholic beverages, it only makes sense for beer companies to be particularly interested in this opportunity to increase their daily sales. An industry executive explained to ET, "Beer blends more with grocery shopping, especially for consumers in big cities, and needs to be chilled, which limits its visibility in liquor vends."

Only time will tell if this pilot project takes off like it did in other states in India.