How the pandemic shaped this e-grocery giant's growth

One of the first things most Indians who rely on technology for every day purchases did when PM Narendra Modi announced the first lockdown was book slots for groceries on BigBasket.

An unprecedented situation, tight curbs, and massive shutdowns that created panic and confusion were amplified for the company that has been one of the biggest frontrunners of door-to-door delivery in the country.

Meeting the surge in demand amid the pandemic also meant growth opportunities for the firm. There were reportedly days when the e-grocery company sold more than 22 kg of potatoes and onions each minute.

For the Bengaluru based retail e-grocer, the pandemic has quickened the pace of its growth by 15 to 18 months, co-founder and CEO Hari Menon told Business Standard.

However, it was a steep slope to climb.

BigBasket, severely impacted by the exodus of migrants -- most of who are instrumental in the essential delivery mechanism --, had to hire over 12,0000 employees in two weeks to meet the demand upsurge.

Recounting this at an event in November last year, Menon said the company lost 80 per cent of its workforce within two days, just as the nationwide lockdown was announced in March.

"Stores were shut, people scared to get out and orders were pouring in (for BigBasket). There was a surge in business, and we had 20 per cent workforce. We realised that we can't give this up...(realised) how important this quality is...resilient organisations are winners," he added.

Also, with local authorities shutting down warehouses and stopping trucks from crossing state borders, e-commerce players had seen massive disruption in their operations even as orders spiked during the lockdown.

But the e-grocery firm remained resilient and grew in that atmosphere despite the disruptions.

Menon believes that resilient people become more innovative in times of crisis.

"And, when you become more innovative, you start doing more with less. I made the organisation internalise this — 'doing more with less'...shortage of people, making sure we use technology to the hilt, make sure we come up with new things like community delivery, we did about 60 innovative things, and the whole theme was doing more with less," he told PTI.

BigBasket is in advanced talks to sell a majority stake for about $1 billion to salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group.

(With PTI inputs)