The on-demand service provider aims to ease delivery pressure in Shanghai, as residents scramble for necessities under a strict lockdown
China’s online food delivery operator Ele.me (Chinese: 饿了么) said on April 10 that 2800 delivery men have returned to work to solve the last-mile delivery problem in Shanghai during the past week.
Over 4,000 merchants have restored their businesses on the platform, Ele.me added.
Demands for medicine delivery have surged under severe pandemic outbreaks. The company finished nearly 1 million drug orders since the outset of lockdown on March 28, cooperating with more than 1,000 pharmacies to meet the needs.
The platform also offered group-buying services in over 1,000 communities in Putuo, Pudong, Yangpu, and other districts. Specifically, the online supermarket of Ele.me supplied staples like meat, eggs, and milk to over 25,000 households in Pudong District, which was among the first to experience the epidemic surge.
Ele.me’s app also launched “urgent deliveries” to address the imperative needs of particular groups, including the elderly living alone, patients with chronic diseases, infants, and children.
Another Chinese food delivery giant Meituan (3690: HK) also deployed about 1,000 extra workforce and courier robots to Shanghai.