The food technology company ran 1+1 offers for customers ordering for Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. They also instructed delivery boys to accept notes that were going to be withdrawn in a few hours – a decision that saw orders hitting the ceiling. Before midnight, the Mumbai-headquartered startup saw orders triple from its usual 12,000 meals a day.
“Being start-up means one has to nimble and agile. A lot of customers needed change and our average meals are priced at Rs 150-200. We can always exchange these notes at the bank after two days,” said Anshul Gupta, Co-Founder, Box8.
To keep the momentum going, the startup has introduced a new feature on the app and website, where consumers can pay online after delivery.
“We also instructed our delivery boys to be patient and sensitive to customers, as we anticipated a lot of anxiety,” he said.
Despite two-thirds of Box8’s orders coming online, the startup still chooses to come with offers to reach out to its customer base in Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru.
Swiggy was also quick to rise to the occasion on November 8 night. Minutes after the announcement came in, Swiggy’s delivery boys were seen in offices armed with POS machines.
“I was so relieved when the Swiggy guy told me that he had the machine. I thought my COD order would be cancelled,” said Priya Krishnan, a Software Professional.
Night Cafe, a Bengaluru-based food startup, also said they would be accepting Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes through a message sent out to customers on Wednesday evening. “I didn’t want business to get affected and I know banking channels are open after a day,” said the manager at Night Cafe.
Chennai-based cab aggregator UTOO is accepting payments in Rs 500 notes and cheques for cab rides. At grocery delivery retailer Ninjakart, which operates both in the B2B and B2C segments, credit was offered to their long standing vendors.
Meanwhile, in the temple town of Kancheepuram, R Prakash, a weaver welcomed buyers and accepted payments in Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. Given the rush with the wedding season purchases, Prakash has buyers walking every day, making purchases right from Rs 5,000 up to several lakhs.
“Many of my customers travel all the way from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai to purchase authentic Kanjivaram sarees. I didn’t want to disappoint them so I consulted my auditor and accepted these notes,” said Prakash.
He is meticulously making a note of the number of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes that he is receiving and getting the slip endorsed by the buyer to ensure that he will be able to answer any questions that the bankers ask.
With smaller weavers who turned up at his doorstep today for their payments, Prakash has made part payment with Rs 100 notes that he has. “We have a long standing relationship with these weavers. They also understand that this is a measure that will benefit the society in the long run. I have paid a token amount of Rs 1,000-Rs 2,000 in Rs 100 notes and have promised to pay the rest once the situation is clear.”