Amazon Joins India’s Quick Commerce Race With 15-Minute Grocery Delivery
SEATTLE, WA (Reuters) – Amazon will begin trials for quick commerce operations in India that would see the U.S. e-commerce giant deliver grocery items in 15 minutes or less, it said on December 10.
Quick commerce is catching up in India, with companies like Zomato’s Blinkit and SoftBank-backed Swiggy’s Instamart promising deliveries of goods from groceries to electronics as quickly as 10 minutes, challenging e-commerce giants.
Seattle-headquartered Amazon is the latest to join the bandwagon.
Amazon would focus on implementing a strategy “to offer the largest selection at fastest speeds and greatest value to customers in every single pin-code across the country,” Samir Kumar, country manager, Amazon India, said in a statement.
India’s quick commerce industry is expected to cross $6 billion in annual sales this year from just $100 million in 2020, according to research firm Datum Intelligence.
Earlier this year, Amazon’s larger domestic rival, the Walmart-backed Flipkart piloted its own quick commerce service in select Indian cities, promising delivery of groceries in 10 minutes.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance has also started a pilot for a 10–30-minute delivery service near Mumbai.
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JAYANANDA HIRANANDANI
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How much is the delivery charge? In India for many people 70 to 90 per cent income goes on food. If home delivery is free then it is good, but this is unlikely. May be that if the amount of purchases is high, it may be free. In person shopping has advantages. Perishable items have to be carefully selected. Fast delivery people may not pay attention. I am based in USA. I carefully select bread. It requires great attention of the shop workers and management to ensure that items with past expiry dates are removed.
December 13, 2024