India’s First Time-Definite Guaranteed Delivery Program

Company: DTDC | Year: 2009

Business Model:
To achieve next-day morning deliveries, DTDC implemented a pioneering On-Board Courier (OBC) network across India.

Eight major cities were identified to participate in this model.
Every evening, a dedicated courier from each city boarded a passenger flight to Mumbai (OBC Hub), carrying local pickup shipments designated for next-day morning delivery.
Upon arrival in Mumbai, within a 4-hour overnight window, all couriers met at the OBC Hub to sort and exchange packages for their respective destinations.
The couriers then took early morning return flights to their cities, enabling first deliveries by ~9 a.m. the next day.

My contributions:

Led the project with a focus on growth and revenue management
Defined price points and margin strategies to ensure project viability
Conducted A/B testing to optimize operations
Supported expansion to additional cities

This innovative model has since evolved into a flagship vertical for DTDC, now known as DTDC Raftaar, connecting e-commerce shippers and buyers across India — including Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

More information about the product and company