Apps, Online Services You Can Use to Buy Alcohol in India: 8 Points

Swiggy and Zomato are delivering alcohol in several cities like Kolkata, Rachi, and Siliguri.

The COVID-19 crises have given rise to several alcohol online delivery options in the country. One of the big food delivery service providers like Swiggy and Zomato has forayed into the alcohol delivery segment, as the companies seek to cash in on high demand for liquor during the country's coronavirus lockdown. These apps were already started operations in Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal. Since it will be a while before services like Swiggy and Zomato started delivering alcohol everywhere, various states government have introduced official websites and apps for ordering alcohol online or to get tokens for buying alcohol form brick and mortar stores while following social distancing.

Now, I'm going to tell you the top 8 points you need to know apps and online services aiding alcohol purchasing in India.

1. Zomato has started delivering alcohol in different states like Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. The aggregator has a separate tab called wine shops in the cities where it is operating, and it promises delivery within 60 minutes. The company looks to expand to many more states across India to cash in on this recent demand for online delivery of liquor.

Zomato has a one-time verification process to ascertain the age of the customer. For now, Zomato is operational in Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata, Rachi, and Siliguri cities and more cities in the states mentioned above will get home delivery soon. I likely look that this service will be on for all the countries as per the demand of the public.

2. Swiggy is also started delivering alcohol in the same cities mentioned above- after getting approvals from the state's government. There is a separate 'Wine Shop' category in the app

for all the cities where this is operating. 

Swiggy is going access to a partner app, to all its retail partners, and they can tweak availability in real-time through this app. Proper training is given to retail partners, and only those with proper licensing and government required documents are taken on board the Swiggly Alcohol Delivery Network. 

3. For customer age verification, Swiggy, and Zomato both asked for valid ID proof.  Swiggy also asks for the selfie of the users for added photo verification. This verification is done once, but every time when alcohol delivered to the user, an OTP confirmation is required for added safety.

4. In Delhi, the government has introduced a website called token where buyers can go for apply of liquor purchase token. The government has permitted over 160 shops across Delhi to sell liquor, and qtoken gives only 50 tokens per hour to people. On the website, the buyer just fills their basic information and then he or she just asked to choose the products they want to purchase, and then they'll get their tokens. The token mentioned the time frame In which the user can go and collect their product from the shop.

5. Apart from the Zomato and Swiggy, people of West Bengal can also choose the online alcohol delivery option. offered by the state government. The interested buyer needs to register on the official website, fill in the required information, choose nearby liquor shop. Choose items for purchase and pay online via various gateways. The delivery will be done by the agent and verification will be done at the doorstep using a security pin.

6. The Maharashtra State Excise Government has also issued a liquor shop token system for the delivery of alcohol. The user just needs ahead to the official webpage, where you just need to fill out some basic information like area Pincode etc, and a token will generate.

The website is currently requested for alcohol from Pune residents only. It hasn't listed Mumbai shops as the city is home to based the maximum number of COVID-19 patients.

7. Odisha is also taking online orders of liquor through the Odisha State Beverages Corporation Limited official website. The whole process for retailers to list their shop online and the payment process will be listed in a detailed manner. The shopkeepers first need to register their shop for doing their online business. 

8. There is an app called HipBar that claims to be India's first legal alcohol home delivery service provider. It is currently operational in Kolkata only and still under process for collating liquor shops in the city. The app has a list of all the liquor shops in your area and a buyer just needs to choose one and purchase the item from your selected shop. HipBar than deliver your item to your doorstep for free.

What do you think with this step taken by the government, in this huge outbreak of COVID-19?

Was the step taken by the Indian government is correct? 

Tell me your opinion in the comment box below :)