Zomato-Owned Blinkit To Allow Brands To Set Up Custom Stores

Zomato-owned quick commerce platform Blinkit has launched the Brand Stores platform for D2C startups and FMCG brands on its app. With this, Blinkit aims to allow brands and D2C startups to connect better with their customers with Brand Stores.

The brands listed on Blinkit can showcase their products on a customisable brand page. The quick commerce startup said that the brand store would make it easier for customers to find what they are looking for.

Brands can create custom pages or flow on the page that allows them to highlight different products or engage with customers. The quick commerce platform added that the D2C and FMCG brands opting to build their brand stores would have the capability to create customer-relevant content on Blinkit.

“Brands can also utilise their design language and design assets to make the brand store experience more immersive for their new or loyal customers,” added the quick commerce startup.

Ecommerce giants such as Amazon also allow sellers to build brand stores on its platform.

According to the company, over 20 brands have already made their brand pages on the platform including Maggi, KitKat, Plum, Dettol, Sleepy Owl Coffee and The Whole Truth, among others.

Apart from the brand page, the brands would also get access to real-time analytics around the performance of their pages.

Further, brands with brand store content would also get insights into sell-throughs and supply chain tools. These features would give brands a real-time view of their performance, on the app and various geographies.

“We had a lot of fun building it and we hope this is a big win-win for our customers and our partner brands,” said Blinkit. A D2C startup or a brand that is already using Blinkit’s self-search ad bidding platform Brand Central would get access to Brand Stores.

The quick commerce platform’s move comes months after Swiggy’s Instamart launched Swiggy Minis, a similar brand-specific segment within the app. Swiggy Minis allows niche brands from across the country to list their products separately from Instamart.

Interestingly, Blinkit’s new platform comes at a time when it has started looking at advertising income as a meaningful source of revenue. 

“Blinkit has become a preferred platform for advertising and engagement for over 500 brands. These brands, large and emerging, use us to build brand awareness and to also push their sales on the platform with performance advertising,” Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa said during Zomato’s earnings call last week.

In Q3FY23, Blinkit’s order volume grew 21% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) to 3.16 Cr, offsetting the 2.6% decline in average order value (AOV) to INR 533.

The quick commerce platform, which is operational in more than 500 localities, is looking to expand its dark stores reach by 40% in the next 12 months.