Robots to handle dark stores in Ola's quick commerce plan
What's the story
Ola, a prominent player in the ride-hailing industry, is preparing to make its mark in the quick commerce sector.
The company's parent entity, ANI Technologies, plans to establish its own dark stores — compact local warehouses designed for swift product delivery.
This strategic move is driven by the growing demand for rapid delivery services. Interestingly, the dark stores will incorporate robots to reduce human intervention.
Expansion plans
Ola's dark store-as-a-service plan
"It's a dark store-as-a-service where the whole setup will be delivered with significant automation but there will be some people involved," a person familiar with Ola's plans told ET.
The dark stores could be utilized by an ONDC seller, an offline brand, or any other business.
The company is considering using its electric two-wheelers for dark store operations.
In addition to the dark stores, Ola also intends to introduce its own Unified Payments Interface (UPI) service for customers.
Market competition
Ola's second attempt at quick commerce amid competition
These developments are expected to be announced by Bhavish Aggarwal, the founder of Ola, at the annual Independence Day event on August 15.
This venture marks Ola's second foray into quick commerce, following the launch and subsequent discontinuation of Ola Dash in 2022.
Rivals like Zomato-owned Blinkit and Zepto are also increasing their dark store count. Blinkit aims to have 2,000 dark stores by 2026 while Zepto plans to double its total count to 700 by March 2025.