Exclusive: Flipkart to enter quick commerce game with ‘Flipkart Minutes’

Walmart-backed Flipkart is gearing up to launch its quick commerce vertical, ‘Flipkart Minutes,’ by the second week of July, sources informed BT. This marks Flipkart’s third attempt to break into the quick commerce industry following two earlier, less successful efforts over the past few years.

“With Flipkart Minutes, they are targeting 15-minute delivery,” a source familiar with the matter revealed, adding that the launch could happen around July 15. The company plans to leverage its supply chain with this launch, focusing on electronics in addition to groceries and other essential items.

Flipkart’s previous attempt to enter this space with Flipkart Quick, which targeted 90-minute delivery, did not take off as planned.

The company has yet to make an official announcement.

Since the beginning of this year, speculation has been rife about Flipkart entering the quick commerce space. This buzz intensified when the company failed to finalise a deal with Zepto due to a disagreement in stake, which is reportedly set to raise $300 million at a valuation of $3.5 billion.

Post-Covid outbreak, the quick commerce market has seen a rise in India, where Mordor Intelligence estimates the market at $ 3.34 billion in 2024, and expects to reach $9.95 billion by 2029.

The leading players in the quick commerce industry in India include Zomato backed Blinkit, Zepto, and IPO-bound Swiggy’s vertical Instamart.

Flipkart is also enhancing its grocery fulfilment centres (FC) for slotted deliveries. Recently, the company launched a new grocery store in Jaipur, Rajasthan—the first in the state. This centre has a dispatch capacity of over 6,500 orders per day, serving Jaipur and neighbouring cities such as Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, and Kota.