Walmart’s Flipkart Minutes narrows gap with India’s quick-commerce leaders
Two years after launch, the service is delivering over 1.1 million orders a day, leveraging Flipkart’s existing customer base to challenge established rivals like Blinkit and Instamart.
Walmart-owned Flipkart is rapidly closing the gap with India’s established quick-commerce leaders, with its Flipkart Minutes service now delivering between 1.1 million and 1.2 million orders a day. This volume represents a near-tripling of the approximately 390,000 to 400,000 daily orders recorded in November, positioning the two-year-old venture close to Swiggy’s Instamart, which handles about 1.4 million orders daily.
The growth is underpinned by an aggressive expansion of delivery infrastructure. Flipkart Minutes now operates between 1,020 and 1,050 micro-fulfilment centres, up from 600 in January and roughly 340 a year ago. The company is adding around 100 new facilities per month and aims to reach a network of 1,500 centres by the end of 2026. This expansion allows the service to maintain an average delivery time of 11 minutes, down from 13 minutes a year earlier.
Market leader Blinkit continues to dominate the sector with an estimated 3.4 million to 3.6 million daily orders, followed by Zepto at approximately 2.4 million to 2.6 million. However, Flipkart’s strategy leverages its existing e-commerce customer base, providing a ready audience for instant delivery. Analysts note that this integration is critical, as consumers increasingly expect immediate gratification for grocery and staple purchases, making it difficult to revert to scheduled delivery models.
Customer engagement metrics reflect this momentum. Approximately 65 per cent to 70 per cent of monthly customers on the service are repeat buyers, while transactions per customer have increased by 50 per cent to 60 per cent compared to the previous year. The average order value stands between ₹400 and ₹500 (approximately $4.20–$5.20), with significant growth in categories such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meat. Flipkart is also expanding its selection to include higher-end gourmet and organic products.
Global rival Amazon is pursuing a similar strategy in India. Amazon Now, its quick-commerce service, has seen orders double every quarter since launch and is expanding to more than 300 cities. The company plans to establish a network of over 1,000 micro-fulfilment centres, alongside larger facilities designed to broaden the range of products available for instant delivery.
For both Flipkart and Amazon, the expansion into quick commerce is viewed as both an offensive and defensive move. As specialist platforms like Blinkit and Instamart entrench their market positions, the e-commerce giants risk losing transaction volume if they cannot match the speed of delivery. The shift underscores a broader structural change in Indian consumer behaviour, where the convenience of minute-level delivery is becoming a standard expectation rather than a premium feature.
