IndianOil app surpasses ChatGPT on Play Store as West Asia war hits LPG supplies

Amid the ongoing tussle over LPG due to the ongoing crisis in
West Asia, IndianOil One, the energy giant’s gas cylinder-booking app, has topped the Google Play Store and Apple App Store charts in India, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

In the past few days, the app has overtaken
ChatGPT and other popular apps to claim the number 1 spot in the free app rankings. This jump is coming at a time when the Indian consumers reel from supply chain shockwaves triggered by the blockade over the
Strait of Hormuz, one of the crucial waterways in West Asia for energy supply. As of Sunday morning (March 15), the app held the top position.

The cylinder booking app has become increasingly popular as
LPG distribution centres in Indian cities witnessed endless queues in the last week. In light of this, several restaurants and eateries have shut their doors or truncated their menus to tackle the situation.

How the ranking on these platforms is decided

It is pertinent to note that the rankings on Google Play Store and App Store are based on recent performance signals, such as:

• Recent download velocity: An app that sees sudden surges in installations in a short time.

• Recent growth trend – The chart favours apps that are trending upward, not ones that are already huge but stable.

• Apps that have high installation-to-uninstallation ratios

• Ratings: It is pertinent to note that there are other LPG cylinder booking apps. However, the ratings and rankings of IndianOil One are relatively higher.

• Regional popularity: A particular app has witnessed a massive surge in popularity.

However, LPG cylinder booking apps are not just topping charts in the app stores. If we look at Google Trends, there have been recent spikes in searches for terms like “cooking gas” and “Indane”. The jump was specifically recorded after March 8, when the speculations of LPG shortage in India became ripe.

Restaurants shut shops as the government tackles the issue of hoarding

Hotels and restaurants across India have been flagging shortages of cooking gas supply and have urged the government to ensure an uninterrupted supply of fuel.

The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association (AHAR), Bengaluru Hotels Association, Chennai Hotels Association, Chennai Tea Shops Association, the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Odisha (HRAO), and several hoteliers have warned that the non-availability of cooking gas would force many units to shut their shops.

“The restaurant industry is predominantly dependent on commercial LPG for its operations,” NRAI said in a statement. “Any disruption therein will lead to a catastrophic closure of the majority of restaurants.” On March 10, a number of small restaurants limited their services to “only tea and coffee” after being informed by gas dealers that refilling of commercial cylinders had not taken place since March 7. It is pertinent to note that words like cooking gas LPG started to trend in India around the same time, i.e. March 8.

The situation has led to a rise in hoarding and black marketing of LPG cylinders. As a result, the government has called on state officials to regulate the distribution of LPG cylinders and avert any public panic. Earlier this week, the Centre directed people to curb hoarding and black marketing amid reports of panic booking.

In a meeting with chief secretaries and DGPs chaired by Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Petroleum Secretary Niraj Mittal assured states that domestic LPG and natural gas supplies remain a government priority, and there is no reason for public alarm. States have been instructed to step up control rooms at the state and district levels to monitor the situation and appoint officials for grievance redressal, following the model used during the Covid crisis.

Respite on the way

On Saturday, it was reported that after Shivalik, India’s second Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) carrier, Nanda Devi, had successfully exited the Strait of Hormuz and entered the international waters amid growing tensions in West Asia.

This marked another step forward in India’s efforts to safely move its energy cargo through the tense Gulf region. The government sources told CNN News-18 that the vessel is now being escorted by the Indian Navy, which will guide it during the next leg of its journey to India.

As per the report, the ship is expected to reach an Indian port within the next two days. The port of Mumbai or Kandla is likely to be the destination of the vessel. Top government sources told News18 that Nanda Devi is carrying more than 46,000 metric tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The news of the vessels came a day after Foreign Minister Dr S. Jaishankar held a phone call with his counterpart, Abbar Arghachi, discussing the ongoing crisis in West Asia. The development is also significant for India, which depends heavily on LPG imports from the Gulf region.

Officials said the safe movement of these vessels demonstrates that a workable mechanism has been established to ensure the secure transit of Indian energy shipments through the vital maritime corridor.