E-com, logistics players load up carts for peak demand

Ahead of the festival season, e-commerce firms are ramping up hiring for gig roles, third-party logistics (3PL) players are enhancing their infrastructure for faster deliveries, and quick commerce companies are expanding their dark store networks to meet the anticipated demand.

- ARYAMAN GUPTA

Seasonal jobs may increase by as much as 20 per cent this festival season compared to last year, according to data from the hiring portal Indeed.

E-commerce hiring push

E-commerce marketplace Meesho has created roughly 850,000 seasonal job opportunities within its seller and logistics network, a 70 per cent increase from last year, said Sourabh Pandey, chief experience officer of fulfilment and experience at the firm.

Of this, Meesho's sellers have hired 500,000 seasonal workers, while its 3PL partners have generated around 350,000 seasonal jobs. The roles include first-mile, middle-mile, and delivery associates responsible for duties such as picking, sorting, loading, unloading, and handling returns.

Earlier this year, Meesho launched its own logistics service, Valmo, but it also relies on 3PL providers such as Delhivery, Ecom Express, Shadowfax, and XpressBees to fulfil deliveries.

Similarly, Walmart-owned e-commerce giant Flipkart announced the launch of 11 new fulfilment centres across nine cities on Wednesday, ahead of its flagship The Big Billion Days event. With this addition, the company now operates 83 such centres across the country.