QikPod, a startup being launched by serial entrepreneur Ravi Gururaj with $9 million in funding from Accel Partners, Flipkart, Delhivery and Foxconn Mobile, will establish a network of intelligent lockers for delivering ecommerce parcels to online shoppers across the metros.
For ecommerce companies such as Flipkart, which delivers over eight million packages every month, QikPod will help avoid costs of re-delivering when customers are not physically present. Overall, the product will help smoothen the last-mile delivery of parcels and even reduce carbon emissions through shorter and fewer delivery routes, according to Gururaj.
For instance, Delhivery, which is an investor in QikPod alongside Flipkart, believes the company can push up to 10% of its shipments through this parcel network. “QikPod creates flexibility for our customers and simplifies our delivery process. We will now be able to fulfil to a location of customers’ choice even when the customer is not physically present and also save the cost of re-delivery,” said Sahil Barua, CEO of Delhivery.
Accel Partners’ Prashanth Prakash said the startup offers a more convenient alternative to home delivery.
“A connected locker is a simple and effective solution to this problem. For consumers, there will be no more hassles of payments, returns, coordinating timings with delivery boys and for the e-tailers, this will finally enable true economies of scale,” he said.
Gururaj, a serial entrepreneur who has cofounded several startups, said the lockers will combine technologies such as internet of things with a logistics system at the back end. Foxconn will provide these lockers.
“I believe over time parcel locker networks will help handle nearly a third to half of the parcels shipped across India’s metros. Our plan is to build the world’s largest parcel locker network with over 50,000 lockers across all major metro cities in India. I hope you will see a QikPods deployed in every apartment building, office park, many popular retail outlets and public transit locations in the not too distant future,” said Gururaj.
Image Curtsey: thehindubusinessline
