Flipkart debuts 'Minutes' in Bengaluru for 10- minute deliveries

Flipkart launches 'Minutes' service in Bengaluru's key tech and residential areas, including HSR Layout, Gunjur, Bellandur, and Kadubeesanahalli.

Walmart-owned Flipkart has joined the ultra-fast delivery race with its new service, 'Minutes'. Launched in Bengaluru, it will compete against other quick-commerce players like Zepto, Swiggy's Instamart, and Zomato's Blinkit. This move follows months of speculation about Flipkart's entry into the 10-minute delivery market, as reported by Business Standard.

Flipkart's 'Minutes' service has kicked off in Bengaluru's tech and residential hotspots like HSR Layout, Gunjur, Bellandur, and Kadubeesanahalli. Catering to the high demand for speedy deliveries in these areas, Flipkart is offering a range of products including electronics and smartphones within a quick 10 to 15 minute timeframe.

“The service has gone live in select parts of Bengaluru,” said a person familiar with the matter. “The idea is to keep perfecting it first and then expand.”

Sources indicate that Flipkart aimed to run approximately 100 fulfillment centers to enhance its quick commerce strategy for the upcoming festive season. Industry insiders report that the 15-20 minute delivery services offered by competitors like Zepto, Instamart, and Blinkit are significantly capturing sales that would otherwise go to Flipkart and Amazon.

Flipkart has rolled out same-day delivery for a variety of product categories, allowing the Bengaluru-based company to reach millions of customers in 20 cities, both metropolitan and non-metropolitan. Non-metro cities include Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Guwahati, Indore, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Patna, Raipur, Siliguri, and Vijayawada. The company plans to expand this service to additional cities, including Tier-II and Tier-III areas and categories. However, the quick-commerce initiative is distinct from this service, as it aims to deliver products even more quickly.

Hari Kumar G, vice president and head of grocery at Flipkart, recently stated that the company is enhancing its grocery services in metropolitan areas while also expanding into Tier-2+ towns across India. Kumar mentioned that both quick-commerce and next-day delivery models can operate simultaneously. Additionally, the company is considering the introduction of quick-commerce services in the future, depending on the demand observed in specific regions of the country.