Consumer companies gear up to weather climate risk
They are hiring weather forecasting agencies, in-house experts and data crunchers to prepare for logistics and demand disruptions due to weather events such as unseasonal rains, extreme heatwaves and milder summers or winters. Food delivery platform Swiggy has tied up with an external weather forecasting agency to predict climatic conditions even on a hyperlocal basis to ensure deliveries are not disrupted.
The food aggregator also has a dedicated team that works to keep its riders informed on a real-time basis. Rival Zomato, which also owns the instant grocery delivery app Blinkit, has weather forecaster and analyst Navdeep Dahiya on its rolls so that its riders have access to crucial weather-related forecasting.
«To mitigate weather-related disruptions to business, we provide additional monetary incentives to delivery partners,» a Zomato spokesperson said. Those making a certain number of deliveries during rainy spells can enter a contest and earn rewards.Ensuring on-time deliveries «We have enabled lower drop distance, so that delivery partners don't have to cover lengthy distances during difficult weather,» according to the Zomato spokesperson.
Weather-related challenges range from ensuring on-time deliveries and predicting demand fluctuations accurately to inventory management and managing out-of-home consumption channels. After a mild summer in the north that dampened sales of air-conditioners and refrigerators as well as beverages and ice-creams among other seasonal products, the region is facing heavy rain that has disrupted farm supply chains and sent prices soaring.
Online deliveries of essentials and medicines came to a standstill during the wet spells. Platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato and Blinkit stopped
. Read more on economictimes.indiatimes.com
