Flipkart Minutes is now processing about 1.1 million to 1.2 million orders a day, putting Walmart-owned Flipkart close to Swiggy Instamart in India’s fast-growing quick-commerce market. The service has nearly tripled its daily order volume from about 390,000 to 400,000 in November, according to people familiar with its operations.
Flipkart launched Minutes in August 2024. It remains behind Blinkit and Zepto, but is rapidly closing the gap with Instamart, which handles about 1.4 million daily orders.
Blinkit and Zepto Still Lead the Market
Blinkit remains the largest quick-commerce platform in India by order volume, with an estimated 3.4 million to 3.6 million daily orders, according to Datum Intelligence. Zepto follows with about 2.4 million to 2.6 million.
Instamart still operates at considerable scale. Swiggy recently said the service has more than 14 million monthly transacting users and over 1,200 dark stores across more than 130 cities.
More than 45% of Instamart’s dark-store network is now contribution-margin positive, according to Swiggy.
Flipkart Is Expanding Its Fulfillment Network Rapidly
Minutes now operates roughly 1,020 to 1,050 micro-fulfillment centers, up from about 600 in January and roughly 340 a year ago.
Flipkart is adding around 100 locations a month and aims to reach 1,500 by the end of 2026.
The company also benefits from its existing e-commerce customer base. Datum Intelligence adviser Satish Meena said Flipkart can direct shoppers already using its marketplace toward faster delivery without having to build an audience from scratch.
Customer activity is also increasing. About 65% to 70% of monthly Minutes customers are repeat buyers, while transactions per customer have risen 50% to 60% from a year earlier.
Average order values are about ₹400 to ₹500, or roughly $4.20 to $5.20. Fast-growing categories include fruits and vegetables, staples, dairy products, and meat, while Flipkart is also adding more organic, artisanal, and gourmet products.
Average delivery times have fallen to about 11 minutes from 13 minutes a year ago.
Amazon Is Expanding Its Own Quick-Commerce Service
Amazon is also increasing its investment in instant delivery through Amazon Now.
During CEO Andy Jassy’s visit to India in June, Amazon said Now had become its fastest-growing business in the country, with orders doubling every quarter since launch.
Amazon plans to expand the service to more than 300 cities and build more than 1,000 micro-fulfillment centers.
The expansion by both Amazon and Flipkart reflects how quickly consumer expectations around grocery and everyday-item delivery are changing in India. Specialist platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart have made delivery within minutes increasingly common, pushing larger e-commerce companies to offer similar services to retain those purchases.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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