Fast grocery startups Milkrun, Send and Voly aiming to strike juggernauts Coles and Woolworths

‘The new gig economy’: Grocery start-ups Milkrun, Send and Voly aiming to strike feel-good point of difference

It’s a routine that, by now, is second nature to most Australians.

Open the app, make the request, pay the fee, wait a few minutes.

From Uber to Airtasker, Deliveroo to Doordash, the concept of instant commerce – and the precarious labour force required to power it – has become a key piston of the economy, and the bedrock for new expectations of consumer convenience.

Quick, low-cost deliveries to your door, where once a novelty, are now the minimum requirements for any firm hoping to compete in the gig economy.

That’s particularly true when it comes to fast food and groceries – especially when the pandemic keeps people from adventuring down to the shops.

But a new wave of start-ups is betting on customers buying in to a more heartfelt concept.