While Online Shopping has become a craze in the country, Indian online merchants still have to live with an extremely underdeveloped logistics infrastructure present in the country.
Making an honest effort to bail the Indian merchants out of this sticky wicket is a Bengaluru-based startup called QikPod. The startup aims to help the merchants by building a network of smart lockers, where shoppers will be able to collect packages in the cities themselves.
With the smart lockers in possession of e-commerce companies, they will be able to charge a per-use fee for each locker, which is managed through an API and open platform. The lockers will be built by Foxconn Mobile.
The locker system works in a very simple way. Once a package is placed in a locker, the customer is notified via an SMS to collect their purchase. The customer will then have a time period of 24 hours to collect their delivery from the locker, using a unique code notified in the SMS sent.
The startup plans to build the world’s largest parcel locker network with over fifty thousand lockers across all major metro cities in India.
According to QikPod founder Ravi Gururaj, "I believe over time, parcel locker networks will help handle nearly a third to half of the parcels shipped across India’s metros."
He further added, “I hope you will see QikPods deployed in every apartment building, office park, many popular retail outlets and public transit locations in the not too distant future."
Having successfully obtained a funding of US$9 million from big companies like Flipkart, local logistics company Delhivery, Foxconn Mobile and Accel, the startup is all set to launch its pilot programs in January 2016.
The smart lockers has already been trialled out in the US by Wal-mart and Amazon, however the customers there preferred their deliveries to be sent to their doorstep.
Will the system work in India or not, we will keep you updated!
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