LoveLocal, a hyperlocal quick commerce platform, is getting ready to launch 30-minute delivery services as it works to boost its quick commerce game and grow beyond Mumbai, where it's currently based. This move shows the company wants to compete in India's booming instant delivery space while building up its network of local retailers.

The company focuses on fresh food items and connects neighborhood stores with customers. Right now, people can choose between instant ordering that takes about two hours to arrive or they can schedule their deliveries ahead of time. Soon, they're planning to offer express delivery as well.

Akanksha Hazari, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of the platform, said, "We will have an express delivery option by the end of the quarter. As for expansion, the focus is to essentially cover 100 per cent of Mumbai and then grow our brand and become a household name in Mumbai. Next year, we want to start launching in new cities and would look at Pune as our next city because it's also adjacent to Mumbai, with a lot of similar dynamics."

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In Mumbai, LoveLocal has brought 650 local retailers onto their platform so far, and they want to reach close to 1,000 retailers within the next year and a half. They currently have around 100,000 customers making purchases each month and hope to multiply that by ten. According to Hazari, their customer base is growing by about 25 to 30 percent every month.

The platform mainly does well in two areas: one is meat and seafood, and the other is fresh fruits and vegetables. They've also started letting customers buy regular grocery items recently.

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"In fruits and vegetables and meats and fish, the margins are very healthy, around 20-40 per cent. In the grocery segment, margins vary significantly because it has only an 8-12 percent margin. So, in terms of our business, two things are working in our favour. One is our high-margin categories, and the second is that we are a marketplace, so we are asset-light. We have achieved the lowest cost per order in the industry, which is Rs4.2," Hazari said.

The platform keeps things simple by only taking a flat fee of ₹15 on whatever you spend, and that's it - no hidden costs or extra charges, she says.

"Even with the Rs.15 platform fee, we are still making a very large margin. Currently, I would say Love Local has profitable unit economics," Hazari says.

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LoveLocal has managed to bring in close to $30 million in funding through different investment rounds. This includes $8 million in their Series A round and $18 million in their pre-Series B round, with Vulcan Capital leading the charge back in October 2021. They've got backing from some pretty notable investors too, like AC Ventures, Henkel X, Candy Ventures, the guys who started Gojek, IDG Ventures India which is now called Chiratae Fund, and Blume Ventures.