Quick commerce players are increasingly engaging with identity verification firms such as IDfy , Bureau and Equal to conduct background checks on delivery personnel, aiming to enhance trust and curb frauds amid rapid expansion of the instant delivery ecosystem. While gig economy workers have always been required to submit identity documents before joining a platform, companies like Swiggy , Zepto, Blinkit and Zomato are increasingly engaging ID verification firms to use advanced technology to authenticate these documents and evaluate applicants’ behavioural patterns during their assignments. “We are seeing the emergence of trust as a competitive differentiator (as) institutional investors are increasingly factoring robust identity verification frameworks into their due diligence processes,” said Keshav Reddy, founder of identity verification platform Equal.
“Overall, we are seeing brands looking at these functions as a strategic asset rather than a cost centre.” Hyderabad-based Equal is in conversation with multiple ecommerce firms on deployment of such solutions. Stricter checks Web Development Advanced C++ Mastery: OOPs and Template Techniques By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Leadership Validating Your Startup Idea: Steps to Ensure Market Fit By - Dr.
Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Tally Prime & GST Accounting: Complete Guide By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Finance: Finance Beginner Course By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) ChatGPT Mastery from Zero to Hero: The Complete AI Course By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Web Development Intermediate C++ Skills: Master Pointers, Structures and File Stream By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By - Neil Patel, Co-Founder and Author at Neil Patel Digital Digital Marketing Guru View Program Marketing Future of Marketing & Branding Masterclass By - Dr. David Aaker, Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, Author | Speaker | Thought Leader | Branding Consultant View Program Leadership Business Storytelling Masterclass By - Ameen Haque, Founder of Storywallahs View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI for Everyone: Understanding and Applying the Basics on Artificial Intelligence By - Ritesh Vajariya, Generative AI Expert View Program Finance AI and Generative AI for Finance By - Hariom Tatsat, Vice President- Quantitative Analytics at Barclays View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Web Development Django & PostgreSQL Mastery: Build Professional Web Applications By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Modern Marketing Masterclass by Seth Godin By - Seth Godin, Former dot com Business Executive and Best Selling Author View Program A prospective delivery personnel needs to scan a QR code at an enrolment centre, click a selfie, submit identity documents and submit details of his or her two-wheeler registration for real time vetting. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Machine learning models are used to match the details provided by the applicant with a government database and match the selfie with the image in the identity card as part of a detailed verification process.
Additionally, multiple government databases are scoured to create a social score of the applicant, on the basis of which the application is processed. Industry insiders said that while more than 90% of the applications go through without any red flags, around 10% cases are put under further checks and a further smaller percentage of applicants are debarred from joining the platforms. Use of ML tech “The industry is increasingly adopting machine learning models to help businesses evaluate identity documents; they are also investing in advanced technology to detect face-matching and voice-based fraud as well,” said Ranjan R Reddy, chief executive officer of Bureau, which provides fraud and identity verification solutions for businesses.
Startups like Bureau and IDfy count banking and financial services as their major clients, but now ecommerce and quick commerce firms are contributing a significant share to their business – ranging from 15% to 30%. Out of 150 firms that Bureau works with, nearly 40 are in the online commerce sector. The proliferation of dark stores across large cities has meant that these fraud checks have to be deployed at multiple centres and not in one enrolment centre or large warehouse only, industry insiders said.
On a single day, there have been instances where a dark store witnessed collusion fraud worth over Rs 8 crore, putting viability of such dark stores at times in question, Reddy of Bureau added. Such instances have forced quick-commerce firms to take background verifications very seriously. Mumbai-based IDfy gets around 15% to 20% of its business from ecommerce firms even while a major part of the clientele is financial services firms.
“There is a reputation risk for brands, so they want to be careful about who they hire as the sector gets organised,” said Wriju Ray, chief business officer of IDfy. “Also, with technology available for instant checks, there is a higher degree of intent among these firms to deploy these solutions at their enrollment centres.” Identity verification firms’ main business comes from undertaking KYC (know your customer) formalities for banks, but the demand for background checks from non-financial sectors is growing.
To be sure, the parameters of qualification for a food delivery platform will be very different from that of a loan disbursal company. So, the scoring methodology depends on the firms they are servicing, but the core underwriting principles remain the same, identity verification professionals said..
Technology
Quick commerce taps identity verification companies to curb frauds amid ramp-up
Gig economy workers have always been required to submit identity documents before joining a platform, but companies such as Swiggy, Zepto, Blinkit, and Zomato are now increasingly collaborating with ID verification firms that utilise advanced technology to authenticate these documents and assess applicants’ behavioural patterns during their assignments.