Walmart's Flipkart closes in on India's quick-commerce leaders two years after launch
Flipkart's Minutes service has rapidly scaled up its daily order volume and is now approaching India's quick-commerce leaders Instamart, Blinkit and Zepto. Amazon is also expanding its own instant-delivery service, intensifying competition.
Indian consumers have spent years getting used to receiving groceries and everyday goods within minutes, and Walmart-owned Flipkart's quick-commerce arm is now rapidly catching up to the market's established players. Minutes, launched in August 2024, is currently delivering about 1.1 to 1.2 million orders daily, up sharply from roughly 390,000 to 400,000 in November, according to people familiar with the matter.
That volume brings Flipkart close to Swiggy's Instamart, which handles about 1.4 million orders a day and ranks as the smallest of the three established leaders. Blinkit remains the market leader with 3.4 to 3.6 million daily orders, followed by Zepto at 2.4 to 2.6 million, according to estimates from research firm Datum Intelligence.
Rapid infrastructure expansion
Flipkart's growth has been driven by an aggressive buildout of delivery infrastructure. Minutes now operates roughly 1,020 to 1,050 micro-fulfillment centers, up from 600 in January and about 340 a year earlier. The company is adding around 100 new facilities monthly and aims to reach 1,500 by the end of 2026. Analyst Satish Meena of Datum Intelligence noted that Flipkart also benefits from a large existing base of e-commerce customers built up over years.
About 65% to 70% of Minutes' monthly customers are repeat buyers, and transactions per customer have risen 50% to 60% year over year. Average order value is roughly ₹400 to ₹500 (about $4.20-$5.20), with fruit, vegetables, staples, dairy and meat among the fastest-growing categories. Average delivery time has dropped to about 11 minutes, down from 13 minutes a year ago.
Amazon steps up competition
Amazon is also pushing to expand its own instant-delivery service, Amazon Now, in India, where order volume has been doubling every quarter. The company plans to extend the service to more than 300 cities and build a network of over 1,000 micro-fulfillment centers. Analysts say the quick-commerce race is becoming both an offensive and defensive necessity for major e-commerce players, as consumers grow increasingly unwilling to return to scheduled grocery delivery.
