“Do we really need 10-minute deliveries?” Former Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor asked the Eternal founder, Deepinder Goyal, as thousands of gig workers protested against poor pay and working conditions, and lack social security benefits in the gig economy.
A 10-minute delivery became one of the highlights of the nationwide strike by gig workers, as Goyal defended it, saying that the promise is enabled by the density of stores, and not by asking delivery partners to drive fast.
Out of sheer curiosity, Kapoor asked, “Deepinder, what I am really curious about is, do we really need 10-minute deliveries in our chaotic urban conditions, unless for medical emergencies?”
“Would 30 minutes or 1 hour delivery (without so much pressure and need for speed) be the end of the world?” he added.
To explain the concept to Kapoor, a netizen shared an example using two different scenarios: “1. When I order, the Blinkit store is 1.8km away & the Instamart store is 1.5km away. 2. If a store is too busy, my order will be processed from a store that is 2.4 km away. 10 mins ain’t enforced.”
“People have money, they don’t have time, and these two make a perfect ecosystem for 10-minute delivery models across all platforms,” a social media user said.
Another user noted, “Patience is in short supply these days. And people will pay a premium for 10-minute delivery in the future.”
The former Jet Airways CEO then clarified that he was “not outraged” by the 10-minute system, but was just asking a simple question. “Is 10-minute delivery (except for emergencies) really required? Would it not be better to balance safety and environmental risks (pooled deliveries, fewer individual trips) by making it 30 min, or offering a choice of delivery slots?” he reiterated.
What did Deepinder Goyal say about 10-minute delivery?
In a series of tweets, Deepinder Goyal shared that a delivery partner has ample time to reach the destination safely, since the density of dark stores has increased.
“After you place your order on Blinkit, it is picked and packed within 2.5 minutes. And then the rider drives an average of under 2kms in about 8 minutes. That’s an average of 15kmph,” he said.
Goyal also clarified that delivery partners are not on a clock to deliver the order, and neither are they penalised for late deliveries. “Delivery partners don’t even have a timer on their app to indicate what was the original time promised to the customer.”
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