Flipkart Minutes nears Instamart in India daily order volume
Walmart-owned Flipkart’s quick-commerce service, Flipkart Minutes, is delivering 1.1 million to 1.2 million orders a day, bringing it close to Swiggy Instamart’s roughly 1.4 million daily orders. The service, launched in August 2024, has rapidly gained scale in a market led by Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart.
Blinkit remains the largest operator, with an estimated 3.4 million to 3.6 million daily orders, while Zepto handles about 2.4 million to 2.6 million, based on recent estimates from Datum Intelligence. Flipkart is therefore still behind the two largest specialists, but it is narrowing the gap with Instamart despite entering the sector later than its established rivals.
Infrastructure expansion drives Minutes growth
Minutes operates about 1,020 to 1,050 micro-fulfillment centers, small warehouses placed close to customers to support fast deliveries. That network was about 600 sites in January and around 340 a year earlier. The company is adding approximately 100 facilities each month and aims to reach 1,500 by the end of 2026.
The infrastructure build is central to the service’s operating model: its average delivery time has fallen to about 11 minutes, from 13 minutes a year ago. The growth trajectory follows Flipkart rapid-delivery fulfillment network expansion as the expanding fulfillment network supports higher order volumes and wider local coverage.
Flipkart also has access to a large base of existing e-commerce customers, an advantage Satish Meena, an adviser at Datum Intelligence, identified as important for its push into faster delivery. He said that operating 1,000 dark stores and processing a million daily orders made the company a serious participant in the category.
Repeat purchasing and a broader shopping battle
People familiar with the business said 65% to 70% of monthly Minutes customers are repeat buyers. Transactions per customer have increased 50% to 60% from a year earlier, while average basket value is about ₹400 to ₹500, or approximately $4.20 to $5.20. Fruits and vegetables, staples, dairy and meat are among the rapidly growing categories.
Minutes is also increasing its range of premium grocery products, including organic and artisanal goods, as it seeks a larger share of customer spending. Instamart, meanwhile, has more than 14 million monthly transacting users and over 1,200 dark stores across more than 130 cities. Swiggy has said that more than 45% of Instamart’s dark-store network is contribution-margin positive.
Amazon adds competitive pressure
Amazon is pursuing a similar strategy through Amazon Now. During chief executive Andy Jassy’s June visit to India, Amazon said Now was its fastest-growing business in the country, with orders doubling every quarter since launch. It plans to expand to more than 300 cities with more than 1,000 micro-fulfillment centers, alongside larger facilities that can broaden the range available for rapid delivery.
The competition reflects a shift in online shopping expectations. As quick-commerce specialists train customers to expect near-immediate delivery for groceries and everyday products, major marketplaces face pressure to offer comparable speed. For businesses selling through digital channels, fulfillment capability and local inventory placement are becoming practical considerations when serving frequent, time-sensitive purchases.