FMCG companies ITC, Marico and Godrej Consumer Products have partnered with delivery services Zomato, Swiggy, Dunzo and Scootsy. Car rental firm Zoomcar and Uber have tied up online grocers for deliveries. Meanwhile Adidas has tied up with MacDonald’s for a sneaker range and Dabur has partnered SIS for personal protective equipment

Himadri Buch

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The next time you order food using an app, you can also order groceries. In a bid to reach out to consumers, most FMCG companies have formed partnerships for delivery of essentials as customers have been avoiding stepping out for fear of getting infected with the deadly Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus.

In the past few months, FMCG companies ITC, Marico and Godrej Consumer Products, among others, have partnered with food service aggregators Zomato and Swiggy, as well as delivery services Dunzo and Scootsy.

Brand experts, however, see this more as a matter of opportunity rather than a collaboration.

“Brands are coming together and trying to create marketplace access wherever they can. Covid has proven that you cannot be a specialist anymore. You need to be a generalist. Tie-ups will help brands create effectiveness of value, service, cost,” said N Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research, a consumer analytics and brand insights company.

Unusual tie-ups

The country has also witnessed some unsual partnerships in the FMCG space, wherein even cab aggregators and car rental firms have joined hands.

Adidas has tied up with McDonalds: The two brands have joined hands to put out a collection of three sneakers inspired by the heritage of both brands under the title 'The Sauce Pack'.

The three sneakers will be inspired by popular basketball legends James Harden, Damian Lillard and Tracy McGrady, as well as famous sauces sold at McDonald's outlets globally.

Another unusual tie-up is between Dabur and SIS for supply of PPEs, including masks and gloves. The companies have launched a Covid-19 Safety Kit, which comes with different kinds of masks, gloves and sanitisers. SIS is known for its security business and facilities management.

Car rental firm Zoomcar has also joined the bandwagon, tying up with Bigbasket, Grofers and Milkbasket for last-mile delivery of essentials. Cab aggregator Uber, too, has tied up with Bigbasket.

Harnessing synergies

Brand guru Harish Bijoor, feels that unusual partnerships happen during unusual times. “The most disparate looking brands wed in such times. The idea is all about reaching out to the consumer using the collective synergies of brands so conjoined. Consumers appreciate the effort and both sets of brands accrue positive strokes,” said Bijoor, founder of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.

Pavan Padaki, branding coach and consultant, believes that the traditional way of viewing products and services as two distinct baskets of business seems to be a thing of the past.

He pointed out that it is now more about fulfilment or answering a need in totality, either adding a service to a product or adding a product in a service business to make it a complete and a wholesome proposition.

This product-cum-service combo delivery not only helps differentiate and fight competition but also helps garner new customers.

In the coming days, many unusual partnerships could end up becoming business as usual, Padaki said.

First Published on Oct 14, 2020 03:46 pm

Delivering the goods: How companies are forming unusual partnerships to connect with customers

tags #Business #Godrej Consumer Products #ITC #Marico #Swiggy #Zomato