Flipkart sets sight on quick commerce ops expansion

Kolkata, Nov 29 (PTI) Walmart-owned Flipkart said on Friday that it was aiming to expand its quick commerce operations, driven by rising consumer demand for faster deliveries.

The e-commerce giant was piloting its quick commerce service under the brand 'Minutes' in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi NCR as it responds to growing competition from delivery platforms such as Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, and BigBasket.

The quick commerce market size is expected to reach USD 40 billion by 2030, a jump from USD 6.1 billion in 2024, according to a report by Datum Intelligence.

"Customer centricity is critical for us. In cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai, customers are increasingly seeking faster deliveries. We are piloting this service, and already live in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi," Flipkart's Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Rajneesh Kumar told PTI.

While Kumar did not provide a timeline for expanding to new cities, he highlighted the untapped potential of India's e-commerce market.

Currently valued at USD 70 billion, online shopping accounts for only 7 per cent of the total retail market in the country.

"We believe that this will grow significantly as the retail sector in India grows as a whole. Industry numbers suggest that by 2028, e-commerce will account for around 12 per cent of India's retail market," Kumar said.

To cater to rural and semi-urban consumers, Flipkart has localised its app to support major Indian languages, enabling customers unfamiliar with English to shop online.

Kumar noted that the platform's growth is largely driven by small and micro-sellers, particularly artisans and nano-entrepreneurs.

"For example, in the fashion category, which is our largest category on the marketplace, we see significant contributions from small and micro-sellers. These businesses, often run by artisans and MSMEs, are playing a crucial role in driving the growth of digital commerce on our platform," he said.

Kumar said that Flipkart currently hosts around 14-15 lakh sellers, the majority of whom are small businesses.

Flipkart employs over 3,00,000 people in the supply chain and continues to drive efforts to bring under-served communities into the digital commerce ecosystem, he said. PTI BSM SOM