US designed TickMe app to help people order essential goods online in Bhubaneswar
The mobile app— TickMe is designed by a team based out of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA and is being led by an IIT Kanpur graduate
Temple city’s civic body, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday has decided to promote use of TickMe mobile app to enable citizens place online orders for pickup and delivery with grocery stores, medical shops, restaurants nearby.
The innovative app can also notify the buyers when the orders are ready for pickup or delivery.
The mobile app— TickMe is designed by a team based out of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA and is being led by an IIT Kanpur graduate. Users can download TickMe app using the link: http://onelink.to/tickme.
The move has been taken to keep Bhubaneswarites inside their homes and maintain social distancing during extended lockdown till May 3.
As the app intends to use more local shop owners in order to reduce the delivery time and make the process effective and accurate, in the first phase the civic body in collaboration with the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) is first making the inventory of the local shop owners of essential commodities. Once the inventory is in place the app will be promoted with consumers for downloading and using it.
The app comes at no cost for all consumers on both Android & IOS and for six months from now for the shop owners once it is in use under the city corporation limits. However, presently once the on-boarding of local shop owners is done, users can link to the platform to get the benefit of the service.
Once logged in, users can select from a list of nearest shops (grocery stores, medicine shops etc.)
Users can now place the order and enter any specific comments for shop owners. If they want delivery, just mention that in the comments section. Once the shop owner is ready with the delivery then user will be notified via push notifications when their order is ready for pickup or delivery. Users can call shop owners any time if they have any questions.
BENEFITS OF TickMe-
With TickMe in place the citizens can avoid visiting stores or spending too much time on shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic as the social distancing has become the ‘mantra’’ for keeping the spread of the virus at bay. The mobile app is very easy to use. Users can also create a personal task and shopping lists.
Though currently the app is not disabled-friendly like audible and invert colours, the BMC in collaboration with BSCL will work towards making it disabled-friendly. New users, however, just need an email address to create a TickMe account. No OTP is required.
Another thing, though currently payment is made at pickup or delivery, BMC is planning to roll out an online payment service in the coming weeks.
HOW A SHOP OWNER CAN JOIN?
Shop owners can download the app and create a TickMe account with an email address. For their shop to be listed in our App, owners need to send the listing request email to [email protected]. They need to include the email with which they created the TickMe account. On getting the request, TickMe will convert the shop’s email address to business category. We will then send email to business with instructions on how to set up the shop. Shops can go live within 5 minutes of request.
Shop owners can notify their customers that their shop is accepting online orders for pickup or delivery through TickMe. BSCL on behalf of BMC will create awareness among users to order online and avoid long lines. Shop owners who need more information or support can contact the helpline through 1929.
