Indian startups spent years educating consumers on the convenience of grocery and daily essentials delivered in minutes. Now Walmart‑owned Flipkart is quickly narrowing the gap with these quick‑commerce leaders while global rival Amazon expands its own instant‑delivery push.
Flipkart Minutes, launched in August 2024 as Walmart’s entry into quick commerce, processes between 1.1 million and 1.2 million orders daily—up from roughly 390 k–400 k in November, per sources close to the story. At nearly 1.3 million orders a day, it now rivals Swiggy’s Instamart, which delivers about 1.4 million daily.
The gap is notable as Flipkart is a relative latecomer to a market whose top ranks have been dominated by Instamart, Blinkit, and Zepto. Food‑delivery giant Swiggy launched Instamart in 2020 and Zepto arrived the following year, both during the pandemic, while Blinkit traces its roots to online grocery platform Grofers, founded in 2013. The three have since established themselves as India’s top quick‑commerce players.
Blinkit remains dominant, handling about 3.4 million to 3.6 million orders each day, followed by Zepto at roughly 2.4 million to 2.6 million, according to Datum Intelligence estimates. Flipkart swiftly narrows the gap with Instamart—the smallest of the three established leaders by order volume.
Instamart maintains substantial scale. Earlier this month, Swiggy reported that the quick‑commerce service boasts over 14 million monthly paying users and operates more than 1,200 dark stores across 130+ cities. The company has also improved profit margins, with more than 45 % of its dark‑store network now operating at a positive contribution margin.
Nonetheless, Flipkart fuels this growth through aggressive expansion of its delivery infrastructure. Minutes now runs an estimated 1,020 to 1,050 micro‑fulfilment centers—small warehouses positioned near customers to handle rapid deliveries—up from 600 in January and around 340 a year earlier, according to a TechCrunch source. The firm adds roughly 100 new facilities each month, targeting 1,500 by the end of 2026.
Flipkart’s edge extends beyond adding dark stores. By leveraging its vast existing e‑commerce user base—a result of years and billions in acquisitions—the platform provides Minutes a ready audience for faster delivery, notes Satish Meena, an adviser at Datum Intelligence.
A battle for India’s shoppers
Flipkart’s expansion occurs as quick commerce becomes a significant shopping channel for Indians, even amid weaker overall consumer demand. A recent Bernstein analysis found that while national consumption slowed in July, quick‑commerce adoption grew steadily, reflected in healthy monthly active user growth.
Similar to Flipkart, Amazon pursues more ground in India’s quick‑commerce arena. The Seattle‑based firm has accelerated Amazon Now, its rapid‑delivery service, to capture former e‑commerce customers. During CEO Andy Jassy’s June visit to India, he announced that Now is Amazon’s fastest‑growing business in the market, with orders doubling quarterly since launch. Plans call for scaling the service to over 300 cities and establishing a network of more than 1,000 micro‑fulfilment centres, complemented by larger hubs capable of offering minute‑level deliveries.
While Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, Zepto, and Blinkit’s parent Eternal declined to comment, the rapid marketplace evolution feels increasingly defensive for both giants. As shoppers expect near‑instant gratification for many purchases, the quick‑commerce specialists threaten traditional e‑commerce revenue streams unless they match speed and service quality.
“Can you revert to scheduled delivery for groceries now? No,” Meena explained. “You won’t.”
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