Zepto, the quick commerce company, has launched Zepto Pharmacy, a 10-minute medicine delivery service, in parts of Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, and Hyderabad.
The company says it has been testing the service on a small scale for the past year to improve customer experience, streamline its supply chain, and ensure compliance.
“Our objective is to keep operational standards extremely high and not scale too rapidly given the complexity of this category,” said Aadit Palicha, CEO and co-founder of Zepto.
The quick commerce unicorn is joining its rivals in offering similar services. While over-the-counter medicines have been available on these platforms for a while, companies are now moving into prescription drugs.
Prescription drugs come with their regulatory challenges, including the need for a valid doctor’s prescription.
Last month, Blinkit started testing prescription medicine delivery in select Bengaluru pin codes, offering medicines for conditions related to the respiratory system, heart, eyes, and ears, as well as neurocare and antibiotics.
The platform also began offering free doctor consultations for customers who can’t upload prescriptions for certain drugs. All orders are supplied by licensed pharmacies and delivered in tamper-proof packaging.
Blinkit’s move came after Swiggy partnered with PharmEasy in a shop-in-shop model, allowing prescription medicines to be sold through Swiggy’s dark stores and app.
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