Swiggy Halts Genie Service, Bets Big on Quick Delivery Model

Swiggy, one of India’s leading food delivery platforms, has quietly suspended its on-demand pickup and drop service, Swiggy Genie, in several cities across the country. The once-popular service, which allowed users to send parcels, documents, and other items within the city, is now showing as “temporarily unavailable” on the app in most of its operating locations.

Though the company has not released an official statement, Swiggy responded to user queries on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), citing “operational issues” as the reason for the pause. The company has not disclosed a timeline for resumption but assured users that efforts are underway to bring Genie back.

The suspension of Genie comes amid Swiggy's aggressive push into the ultra-fast food delivery segment through its recently expanded Swiggy Bolt service. Bolt promises delivery of restaurant food within 10 minutes and is now operational in over 500 cities, including Tier-II and Tier-III towns. The service currently boasts over 45,000 restaurant partners, including major brands like McDonald’s, KFC, Subway, and Burger King.

Swiggy’s strategy appears to be yielding results. One in every ten orders on the platform now comes via Bolt. As the company bets big on the quick commerce space, its financial performance has also shown signs of growth. In the last quarter of 2023, Swiggy recorded revenue of ₹3,993 crore — a robust 31% increase compared to the previous year. However, the company’s losses also widened to ₹799 crore in the same period, highlighting the high operational costs of scaling rapid delivery services.

This is not the first time Swiggy has paused its Genie service. In 2022, it had suspended operations in major cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad citing similar challenges.

Meanwhile, rival Zomato has also made significant shifts in its operations. The company recently pulled the plug on its 15-minute delivery service and its Everyday home-style meals segment due to lukewarm consumer response.