Grocery deliveries see a boost across Latin America because of coronavirus outbreak

Rappi, a Columbia-based startup, backed by Japan’s SoftBank, with 200,000 delivery people in nine Latin American countries, has seen a 30% increase in deliveries in the first two months of 2020 compared with the last two months of 2019, Reuters cited the figures from the company’s statement.

Considering only pharmacy orders, the startup has reported a 28% rise in deliveries in Colombia, its home-market, since mid-February 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic started, Rappi said, adding that numbers in Brazil, its largest market in the region, are similar.

However, Brazilian app iFood, which specialises in delivering ready-to-eat meals in large cities, said it is too early to measure the impact of the coronavirus spread on its operations. Furthermore, Uber EATS, the food delivery division of ride-hailing company Uber Technologies, also declined to provide figures on the pace of orders in Brazil.