In Just 10 Minutes, Blinkit's Massive Order Fleet will Bring PS5, Baggage and More

Nitin Konde, Varun Bhardwaj

Nov 15, 2024 — 3 min read

Blinkit’s 10-Minute Delivery Fleet Now Includes PS5, Baggage and More

According to a media report, Blinkit, Zomato's rapid commerce division, has started a pilot programme to test a large-order fleet intended for delivering heavier consumer goods within the Delhi NCR area.

Geysers, air purifiers, luggage bags, and PlayStations are among the things handled by the fleet, according to the report, which guarantees delivery within a 10-minute interval.

Aligning with the Concept of Express Dark Stores

As the rapid commerce industry faces growing competition to increase average order values (AOV), the initiative is consistent with Blinkit's stated aspirations to create express dark stores for 30-minute delivery of high-value items. As of right now, Blinkit's AOV is INR 660, up 8% from INR 607 during the same quarter previous year. Zomato refused to share more information regarding the experimental programme as stated in the report.

Swiggy’s Plan

The move coincides with rivals in the rapid commerce market investigating new product categories. According to recent remarks made by Swiggy CFO Rahul Bothra about the company's impending IPO, rival Swiggy Instamart is creating its own infrastructure for longer delivery times for some categories, but it intends to concentrate on kitchen appliances rather than big electronics.

A broader deployment in other major metropolitan regions where Blinkit works may result from the pilot's success in Delhi NCR.

Competition in Quick Commerce Space Getting Stiffer

Quick Commerce and e-commerce platforms are engaged in a fierce battle in the thriving online retail market, blurring the boundaries between their business models and encroaching on one another's territory as part of their expansion strategies.

For example, fast commerce platforms such as Swiggy, Instamart, Zepto, and Zomato's Blinkit used to be recognised for delivering groceries and necessities in a matter of minutes, but they have since expanded into other categories, including apparel, cosmetics, toys, and presents. Conversely, e-commerce giants like Amazon intend to join the q-commerce market, and Flipkart has already done so, offering product delivery in less than one hour.

Customers' purchasing habits have changed as a result of this progression; they now anticipate that every good, from skincare to gifts to dairy products, will arrive at their door in a matter of minutes. The competition's ultimate winners are shoppers who value convenience.

In 2020, it all began with the prompt delivery of groceries, food, and other necessities. However, by introducing a variety of categories like fashion, beauty, electronics, toys, home appliances, kitchen supplies, and more, rapid commerce titans like Blinkit and Zepto are stepping into the world of e-commerce.

By strengthening the rapid commerce platforms, this plan will make it more difficult for conventional kirana stores and e-commerce competitors Flipkart and Amazon to compete. Expanding their logistics network beyond groceries and necessities calls for greater manpower as well as the availability of dark stores to hold a high number of SKUs for quicker last-mile deliveries.