Blinkit, Zepto to hit whopping 1B annual orders by Diwali
What's the story
The quick commerce sector, which is still in its infancy, is on track to hit one billion (100 crore) annual orders by Diwali this year. Industry insiders expect the top five players in the space: Blinkit, Swiggy's Instamart, Zepto, BigBasket, and Flipkart Minutes, to contribute significantly to this milestone. The growth of these companies has been phenomenal, with Blinkit delivering 2.1 million orders daily while Instamart and Zepto follow closely with 1.05 million and 1.5 million deliveries, respectively.
Market expansion
Growth of other players and entry of new ones
Other players like BigBasket and Flipkart Minutes are also adding to the growing order volumes. BigBasket is clocking over 0.5 million orders daily, while Flipkart Minutes is doing around 0.3 million deliveries every day. The entry of more players such as Amazon Now and FirstClub into the quick commerce space will only further boost these numbers, highlighting the industry's rapid growth trajectory.
Industry growth
Blinkit, Instamart add millions of users in a year
The quick commerce industry has witnessed over 100% year-on-year (YoY) growth, driven by city and category expansion. This is evident in the rising monthly transacting user base of companies like Blinkit and Swiggy's Instamart. Blinkit's average monthly transacting customer base has more than doubled from 7.6 million in Q1 FY25 to 16.9 million in Q1 FY26, while Instamart's user base grew from 5.2 million to 11.1 million during the same period.
Consumer trends
Shift in consumer behavior driving growth
The shift of consumers from traditional e-commerce and offline stores to quick commerce has further propelled the industry's growth. "Consumers have moved about 15-20% of their non-grocery items to quick commerce from traditional e-commerce and offline stores earlier which has further propelled the industry," said Satish Meena, advisor at Datum Intelligence. He added that purchasing patterns now show planned purchases instead of last-minute top-ups like before.
Regulatory scrutiny
CCI probes quick commerce firms for possible anti-competitive practices
The rapid growth of the quick commerce sector has attracted the attention of the Competition Commission of India (CCI). The watchdog is investigating possible anti-competitive practices by these companies, including potential violations of foreign direct investment (FDI) norms and their pricing strategies. The increased scrutiny comes as the industry has grown from a near-zero market in 2020 to a $7.5 billion one in five years.