Swiggy's New Play, Blinkit Bistro’s Convenience Fee, and Krutrim Buys BharatSah’AI’yak

Swiggy, best known for delivering food and groceries, is quietly testing a new app called Crew - a personal concierge service for travel, lifestyle, and everyday tasks. The app is in beta and available by invitation only, aimed at India’s urban rich who are willing to pay for time-saving help.

Crew is like a digital butler. It promises to help with everything from booking international trips and getting visas to finding gifts, planning housewarming events, or booking that tough-to-get restaurant table. Users can ask for help getting a driving license, fixing household problems like a broken lock, or even curating luxury experiences.

Swiggy’s target is clear: busy professionals and high-net-worth individuals in metros like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru. These are people who value their time and are open to paying for convenience and personal attention.

This is not Swiggy’s first move in this space. In 2024, it had tried a service called Rare Life. It focused on premium events and experiences and had a high membership fee. That service didn’t take off, but Swiggy took the lessons from Rare Life to build something broader with Crew.

Swiggy has a pattern of launching new services and shutting them if they don’t work. Genie, Access Kitchens, and Swiggy Daily all went through trials and changes. But Crew shows a different level of ambition. It goes beyond food, groceries, or even events and touches a completely new lifestyle space.

Swiggy is not the only one playing in this space. There are services like Indulge Global, RedBeryl, Pinch, and Quintessentially that cater to India’s wealthy with high-end concierge offerings. Premium credit cards also offer similar support for travel and lifestyle. Even Cred, with its luxury products and travel tools, is slowly moving into this space. But none of these have cracked a full-service digital concierge app at scale.

The market may be small, but it’s growing. India has more than 9 lakh dollar-millionaires and a rising upper-middle class. Many of them are used to comfort and digital ease. They want curated services, exclusive experiences, and help with daily life. The rise of luxury spending, urban stress, and tech-friendly lifestyles makes this a space worth exploring. Apps that offer convenience to this segment can build strong loyalty and higher margins.

From a business point of view, Crew can help Swiggy in many ways. They get an opportunity for a highly profitable service, unlike what food and grocery delivery usually achieve. Swiggy is also under pressure to reduce losses and find new sources of income.

By launching a premium service in a separate app, Swiggy is also trying to protect its core brand. Food and grocery are still mass-market plays. But Crew is niche, high-touch, and personal.

The move also adds to Swiggy’s ambition of becoming a super app. Similar to how Paytm and PhonePe became multi-service apps, Swiggy wants to offer more than just delivering food. It already has Dineout, Instamart, Scenes for events, and Pyng for services. But there’s a problem. India has proven to not be a natural market for super-apps, so far. Apps like Paytm and PhonePe offer many services but still lead with finance. Tata Neu tried and stumbled. Zomato focuses on food and grocery. No app has achieved what WeChat did in China. Why? India’s app users are value-conscious. They jump from app to app for the best deal. Loyalty is rare. Each category already has strong players. And combining services in one app often leads to a clunky user experience.

Of course, none of this will be easy. Concierge services are hard to scale. The market is still small, and it’s tough. Crew will need trained professionals, strong vendor networks, and high trust. Swiggy’s challenge is that people will pay for convenience, but they expect perfection. A single bad experience can end the relationship.

We think Crew isn’t aiming for scale, it’s aiming for loyalty, high margins, and a premium brand. India may not have a true super-app yet. But Swiggy is betting that you don’t need to do everything for everyone. You can do a few things perfectly - for the perfect people.

Let’s go through what else is happening in Indian startup world - Grab your simmering cup of StartupChai.in and unwind with our hand-brewed memes.

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“Southern Boys Love That Bass”: Swiggy Launches ‘Crew’ To Offer Travel & Lifestyle Concierge Service

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