Tapping on one of the finest supply chain, Flipkart has announced its tie-up with the Dabbawalas of Mumbai for last mile delivery to customers. This association is an effort to explore newer delivery channels and opportunities by partnering with this unique community of experts.

The Dabbawalas have been in the profession of transporting lunch boxes with absolute precision for more than 120 years. They are a huge inspiration on how to conduct business without any paper or administrative back-up to keep the costs down.

Commenting on the association, Neeraj Aggarwal, Sr. Director – Last Mile Delivery, Flipkart, said, "The Dabbawalas of Mumbai are one of the most reliable and trusted brands in the city. Their unique delivery system has been smooth, reliable and has survived the test of time—even under extreme conditions that are atypical to a city like Mumbai. We are partnering with them and leveraging this unique expertise to enhance our last mile delivery capabilities".

In the initial stage of association, as a partner to eKart, the Dabbawalas (with one union at this stage) will collect Flipkart marketplace shipments from the delivery hubs and deliver it to the customers- while they pick up their dabbas. Currently, a partner just for last mile deliveries, the Dabbawalas will not be interacting with the sellers at this stage. The initial pilot will be for prepaid orders – getting rolled out for COD deliveries as the association expands. The first batch of Dabbawalas have undergone training at Flipkart’s delivery centers. At this stage, they will be using a paper-based tracking system with the idea being to gradually train them on the usage of apps and other wearable tech.

We are excited to see how this thing will work out, if it goes well than this will be a unique milestone partnership and beginning of new association.