Aggressively expanding its quick commerce service, ‘Flipkart Minutes,’ the e-commerce company, Flipkart aims to establish 500-550 dark stores before its ‘Big Billion Days’ sale. The company expects to have around 300 dark stores operational by March, significantly increasing its presence and intensifying competition with Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart.
The Walmart-backed e-commerce giant entered the rapidly growing quick commerce segment around August of last year. It currently operates 120-150 dark stores with this expansion representing a rapid scale-up for the company. By March 2025-end, Flipkart aims to open over 300 dark stores, with the ultimate goal of over 500 stores in preparation for its major annual sale, typically held in October-November
Crucial for quick commerce, dark stores enable platforms to store a wide range of products and fulfill deliveries within 15-20 minutes. Flipkart has reportedly strengthened its market position in Bengaluru and expanded its offerings to include high-value items like electronics, appliances, and smartphones, mirroring recent strategies by Blinkit and Zepto.
Having reached 700 dark stores by December 2024, Swiggy Instamart took over two years to achieve that milestone. Zepto surpassed 900 stores in January, while Blinkit leads the segment with over 1,000 dark stores.
Last month, Flipkart appointed Kabeer Biswas, Co-founder, Dunzo, to lead its quick commerce venture. This move signals Flipkart's commitment to competing against Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and Zepto, which are all vying to deliver a wide range of products quickly.
Other quick commerce players are also investing heavily in scaling operations. With its current trajectory, Flipkart is poised to become the fourth-largest player in quick commerce. BigBasket’s BB Now also competes in this space, while Amazon is reportedly testing a 15-minute delivery service in Bengaluru.
According to Bofa Securities, the Indian quick commerce market is projected to grow from $21 billion to $31 billion by FY27, increasing its share of the retail market from 1.7 per cent to 2.4 per cent.
