Mumbai’s famed dabbawalas are not just transporting lunch boxes these days but are also being tapped by logistics companies and resellers for last-mile delivery. The latest to partner them is the maker of Detel phones, to sell its feature phones and accessories, which are priced between ₹399 and ₹1,099.
The phone-maker has tied up with Mumbai’s Dabbawala Association as a part of its ‘Detel Sales Entrepreneur’ programme in an effort to diversify the distribution of Detel phones and accessories.
Detel claims to be India’s most economical feature phone, and launched its first basic model at a measly price of ₹299. It has since gone on to launch more advanced versions, with its top-end phone selling for ₹800.
Yogesh Bhatia, founder of B2Badda, the distribution platform for Detel phones, said the Dabbawalas can become partners by investing ₹5,000 up front, for which the company gives them phones and accessories. “Our aim is to enable entrepreneurship. We want to take this model to all parts of the country by partnering with artisans and local vendors,” he said.
B2Badda has managed to rope in around 70 Dabbawalas and hopes to soon increase this number. On an average, they estimate that each dabbawala has made a profit of around ₹2,000 after deducting the initial investment.
“We started selling Detel phones only two months ago. First we learnt our way around these phones and we realised how fast and efficient they are. This made it easier for us to sell them to customers. Customers haven’t had any glitches or negative experiences with them, apart from a slight delay in the time it took us for delivery,” said Raghunath Medge, president of Mumbai’s Dabbawala Association.
(The writer is interning with BusinessLine )