Delivered in an instant: India’s quick commerce apps shake up online shopping

There’s no minimum spend, prices are low and orders from apps like Blinkit and Swiggy’s Instamart arrive in a matter of minutes

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A Swiggy driver with flowers for his next delivery. Swiggy, which began as a food delivery aggregator and launched Instamart in 2020, was a pioneer of India’s quick-commerce industry. Photo: Handout

Amrit Dhillon

Published: 12:00pm, 17 Jun 2024

Halfway through cooking a Kerala mutton stew for a family celebration, Akasha Advani realised she had no coconut milk.

In the past, she would have called her local grocery store in New Delhi and had the item delivered in about 30 minutes to two hours’ time. But instead she used Blinkit, an ‘instant’ delivery app, and the coconut milk was at her door in eight minutes.

It was a similar story last month, when her son invited friends to their house in the Defence Colony neighbourhood only for them to run out of tonic water around midnight. Within 10 minutes they had some more, thanks to an order placed through the Instamart app.

Instant delivery apps, which make use of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, have revolutionised online shopping in India – offering an alternative to e-commerce giants such as Amazon and Walmart’s Flipkart.

“I know Amazon Fresh delivers in about two hours but Blinkit’s [delivery in] 10 minutes is just amazing,” said Advani, a dentist and mother of two. “I don’t have to plan meals ahead or be super-organised. If I’m missing an ingredient, it will be there in minutes. It reduces my stress.”

A delivery rider prepares to set off after picking up groceries from a Swiggy warehouse in New Delhi last month. Photo: Reuters

While some industry players were initially sceptical about the new delivery model, consumers have welcomed the apps for their ease of use and convenience.