Quick Commerce Push: Flipkart Mulls 100 Dark Stores Ahead Of Big Billion Days Sale

Ahead of its Big Billion Days sale, ecommerce major Flipkart is now planning to open nearly 100 dark stores across top cities, intensifying its battle in the quick commerce space.

According to an ET report, the move is a part of Flipkart’s strategy to take on quick commerce players like Zepto, Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart this festive season, as fast delivery is expected to capture significant sales due to non-grocery segment expansion and early preparations.

Flipkart Minutes is currently accessible to select users in certain pincodes. The service is expected to launch in a couple of weeks, a source told ET. Initially, it will be stabilised in specific areas before being scaled up. Flipkart Minutes will start with vegetables, fruits, groceries, electronics, and other products.

Flipkart would go “all out” during the festive season, he added.

Dark stores, which are mini warehouses for deliveries, are being tested with employees at Flipkart’s Bengaluru headquarters, using a nearby dark store.

The primary driver behind Flipkart’s recent emphasis on quick commerce is its revenue potential. Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and Blinkit, the top three quick commerce platforms, are collectively expected to surpass $1 Bn in revenue for FY24, as previously reported.

Flipkart’s next-day grocery delivery business clocked 1.6X year-on-year (YoY) growth in FY24, but the company did not share the revenue numbers for this vertical, which is said to be present in over 200 cities already.

This development comes days after Flipkart said it is expanding its digital payment offerings with new recharge and bill payment options. 

After seventeen years of pioneering ecommerce in India, Flipkart is adapting to a rapidly evolving digital commerce landscape in 2024. The company, which once defined ecommerce through marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon India, is now focusing on expanding into quick commerce and diversifying its offerings to include fintech products like Super.Money. It launched its digital payment platform, super.money, in beta mode to offer UPI services, coupled with cashbacks and rewards on Flipkart, Myntra, and Shopsy. 

This shift underscores Flipkart’s strategy to remain competitive amidst changing consumer demands and technological advancements in the ecommerce sector.

This comes at a time when Flipkart is looking to relocate its parent entity from Singapore to India, ahead of its IPO.

Note: We at Inc42 take our ethics very seriously. More information about it can be found here.