After Bengaluru, Flipkart’s ‘Minutes’ Ventures Into Delhi’s Quick Commerce Turf

Amid the raging battle of supremacy in the quick commerce space, Walmart-owned Flipkart has now expanded its quick commerce service ‘Minutes’ for Delhi users after Bengaluru.

Earlier last month, Flipkart ‘Minutes’ went live in parts of Bengaluru amid the increasing popularity of the segment. The new offering took off in HSR (Hosur Sarjapura Road) Layout, Bellandur and a few other areas of the startup hub.

Available on the parent app, the service allows users to order groceries, electronics, smartphones and other products within 8-16 minutes. This is more or less in line with the delivery timelines offered by incumbents Zepto, Zomato’s Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart. 

Inc42 has reached out to Flipkart for comments on the development. The story will be updated based on the response.

Additionally, Flipkart claims that users will be free to cancel or refuse to collect their orders if the experience does not “meet expectations”. No other player in the quick commerce space offers this. This move is likely aimed at attracting and growing its user base.

In April, Flipkart appointed Hemant Badri, Senior Vice President and Group Head of Supply Chain, to lead its quick commerce vertical. 

The company is also reportedly planning to operate 100 dark stores—mini warehouses used for faster deliveries—during the festive season to strengthen its quick commerce strategy.

The operating revenue of Flipkart’s B2C arm rose 42% year-on-year (YoY) to INR 14,845.8 Cr in the financial year 2022-23 (FY23). Its loss declined 9% to INR 4,026.5 Cr during the year from INR 4,419.5 Cr in FY22.

With 10-minute delivery becoming the new normal, dark stores have become an integral part of the functioning of quick commerce platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart. And after two failed attempts at grocery delivery, Flipkart, too, has gone the dark store-route this time in a departure from fulfillment centres. 

That Blinkit is indispensable for Zomato’s growth became evident from the foodtech major’s June quarter results. Blinkit, which currently operates 639 dark stores across the country, aims to scale this number up to 2,000 by the end of 2026 while remaining profitable.

Zepto, too, has been growing at a staggering rate. In June, it bagged a funding of $665 Mn from a clutch of investors such as Glade Brook, Nexus, and StepStone and Lightspeed. The funding is particularly significant, as Zepto aims to double its dark store count to more than 700 by March 2025. 

Swiggy’s Instamart is also expanding its network in the run up to its IPO and has strengthened its quick commerce play in recent months, where it has seen a significant growth in revenue.

While Flipkart is still in its infancy when it comes to quick commerce service, but its large customer base and discounted prices may work in its favour, helping it eat into the market share of big players like Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart.

Meanwhile, Flipkart’s competitor, Amazon, plans to launch its quick commerce services in India in the first quarter of next year.

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