Ola Cabs Rebranded To Ola Consumer, To Launch 100% Automated Dark Store

Ola Group rebranded its ride-hailing platform, Ola Cabs, as Ola Consumer to offer a broader range of consumer services. The company will introduce offerings in the retail and e-commerce spaces, potentially even competing in the quick commerce space with the launch of automated dark stores. 

Ola Consumer will be launching a fully automated warehousing solution, which it claims is 90% cheaper than existing dark store operators. This will be available on the ONDC network. The company already has partnerships with several large FMCG and D2C brands, including ITC, Marico, and Bombay Shaving Company, for efficient and automated warehousing operations.

With this, Ola will potentially be entering the quick commerce market, which has become highly competitive with Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, Big Basket Now, and most recently, Flipkart Minutes being present in the space. 

Furthermore, in an effort to scale e-commerce, Ola Consumer will soon introduce more categories on ONDC. It will also offer one year of free Krutrim Cloud for all ONDC suppliers, applicable to startups and SMEs, under a fair usage policy. Additionally, D2C brands will receive a year of free access to Krutrim Cloud.

The company is also introducing a hyper-personal AI shopping co-pilot. The focus of this tool will be to provide a personalised and highly interactive shopping experience. It will help users connect with social media and other apps, creating a cohesive and integrated shopping experience across all platforms. 

Ola Consumer also plans to drive cost synergies by electrifying delivery logistics and reducing logistics costs. 

The company also announced several initiatives aimed at providing accessible and affordable credit solutions for all. It introduced Ola Credit to make credit accessible, in partnership with Tata Capital and Incred. 

The feature will ensure that personal loans are available at the click of a button, supported by a 100% digitised process, and credited to the bank account within minutes. It also introduced Ola Pay, which uses UPI on the Ola App to pay for rides, food, and groceries.

Ola intends to deploy 1 lakh two-wheeler electric vehicles over the next two years. Ola Share will also be a new feature for an affordable and readily available cab ride during peak hours and high-demand routes. Additionally, the company announced the Ola Loyalty Program—Ola Coin—will reward end-users for every transaction they make on the Ola platform across mobility, e-commerce, and logistics services.