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Grocery shopping has undergone a sea change—from haggling with vegetable and fruit vendors over prices to ordering online from the comfort of home. Thanks to a quick-commerce push from players like Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and BlinkIt, the delivery space saw new innovation—in terms of both speed and discounts. 

Pluckk is a Mumbai-based vegetable delivery app, which claims to deliver products fresh from partnered farms. “We don’t stock. That’s how we guarantee fresh!” the app displays on its interface. 

Run by Fruveggiie Tech Pvt Ltd, it was started in August 2021 by Pratik Gupta, a former global head for digital and ecommerce at consumer goods company, Marico. The app is currently active in Mumbai and Bengaluru, and as of January 2022, has onboarded over 100 farmers in these cities.

With over 50,000 downloads and a 4.1 rating on Google Play Store, the app currently competes with grocery and vegetable delivery players including Flipkart, Amazon, Swiggy, Dunzo, and Zepto in the business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) categories. 

How does it work?

Once you download the app from either Apple App Store or Google Play Store, Pluckk asks for your location to check whether it is serviceable in your area. 

Its home page introduces you to a white and green interface, with a sliding banner at the top which provides information about ingredient sources, recipes, offers, and why to use Pluckk. 

To shop, one can either filter using categories— which include veggies, fruits, meal kits and exotic fruits, or explore ingredients by trends—including ‘low carb’, ‘gut health’, ‘immunity booster’, and ‘eat for heart’. They are available on the ‘View All’ menu and by clicking on an icon on the dashboard at the bottom.

Consumers can choose from daily fruits and vegetables on discounts or package deals. All items can be added to the cart by simply clicking on ‘+Add’ icon. 

While Pluckk claims to get its vegetables from local farms, it does import certain products. The differentiation is clearly mentioned. If the product is locally sourced, then the product will carry India’s flag on the app. and if it is from outside, the name of the country is mentioned.   

On the homepage, there is also a section called ‘Pluckk for foodies’. Here, you could buy stuffed capsicums, chillies, brinjal, bitter gourd, and lady’s finger as meal kits. One can also buy imported fruits from ‘Global picks’. 

Pluckk also has a section on recipes (which is this writer’s favourite section) such as vegetable paella or avocado papdi chaat—with the required ingredients ordered directly from the app. For instance, if you choose to make a pumpkin soup, the app shows you all vegetables and fruits you need if you scroll down after the recipe. 

After you have added the required ingredients to your cart, you can choose one of the available slots or receive the order the next day if you order at night. It is only here you would have to create an account by adding your phone number. Payment options include credit or debit cards, UPI, mobile wallets, and net banking. 

Verdict

Overall, Pluckk has a soothing and easy-to-use interface. While the vegetable shopping feature is similar to most instant delivery apps, the recipe section is a fresh addition. Even if a user does not want to shop, the recipes are useful and a great way to get introduced to new dishes. 

While Pluckk positions itself as a delivery app that delivers freshly-sourced fruits and vegetables, it also features ready-to-cook products, including instant herbed zoodles, broccoli rice, salads, and imported frozen purees. While the veggies can be easily scrolled through, one can only find other products if they spent a lot of time exploring the app. 

Also, since the firm was only founded in 2021, it does not deliver to all areas of Mumbai. This writer could not confirm the serviceability in Bengaluru.