Thanks to Goodbox app, order benne dosa, groceries or detergent in a flash

Bengaluru: Have you ever craved for crispy kebabs or 'benne dosa' that would effortlessly melt in your mouth? If you haven’t, it’s only because you’re put off by the long queues at popular joints in your locality. But hey, now you can sit back and order through the Goodbox app.

Going beyond other food delivery apps, they not only reach out to consumers but also to small businesses and vendors. “Small and mid-size businesses already have a regular crowd, but they won't have the budget to start their own app. That could easily cost up to Rs 2 crore a year. Meanwhile, consumers will suffer from ‘app fatigue’ if every small hotel has an app, as they cannot download so many,” explained Abey Zackariah, CEO of Goodbox.

Each shop will have a mini app of their own, within Goodbox, thus having direct and independent contact with customers. They can even chat with them if they so wish. On the other hand consumers will have access to multiple business from a single app, he added.

"Unlike other food or cab-specific apps, we also cater to grocery stores, laundry services, home bakers, Harley renters and more,” Abey said, adding that they have a response of 1 lakh in Bengaluru.

The vendors say they have received a mixed response. Srihari, owner of Grocery Store, Eexykart, said, “I am very happy with Goodbox. Customers can contact us for price queries and more, giving me customer insights. For example, if the store has a discount on 1 litre of Harpic, we can inform customers through this app.”

Restaurant chain Empire also agreed with this point, with one of their staff, Puneet, saying that their business had increased through this app. However, traditional joints in Malleswaram feel differently. CTR, famous for its dosas, said they preferred not to sign up for the app because customers might cancel suddenly or due to the rush of customers, the deliveries through Goodbox would be delayed.

"We joined Goodbox only a month ago. The business is yet to pick up as not many people have heard of it. It should get better eventually," said one of the staff of Veena Stores, a joint popular for its idli vadas.

The year-old app has taken a step forward, being the first platform to integrate different verticals of business with consumers, making purchases far more convenient for both.