🚀 Quick commerce heats up in India
Flipkart has hired Kabeer Biswas, co-founder of Dunzo, to lead its quick-commerce platform, Flipkart Minutes. The Walmart-owned firm’s move comes after abandoning acquisition talks with Dunzo last year due to complications with Reliance Retail’s involvement. Quick commerce—delivering items in 10–15 minutes—is booming in India, with players like Swiggy, Zomato’s Blinkit, and Zepto dominating the space. Flipkart aims to compete in urban markets where Amazon is strong, making this hire a strategic play.
📦 Flipkart builds infrastructure
To boost its quick-commerce capabilities, Flipkart has established over 100 dark stores in urban areas. These hidden warehouses are key to delivering electronics, groceries, and more. Research by Jefferies notes that Flipkart is even offering high-value items like laptops and smartphones on Minutes, signaling a bid to outpace rivals. Amazon, meanwhile, started testing its own quick-commerce model last month, making the race more competitive.
🌟 Dunzo's lessons and Biswas’ leadership
Kabeer Biswas brings deep expertise, having co-founded Dunzo in 2014. Dunzo was a pioneer in the quick-commerce model in India but struggled against fierce competition. The startup raised $500M with backing from Google and Blume Ventures but lost ground as Swiggy and Zomato entered the field. Biswas’ role at Flipkart reflects a shift from competing with Dunzo to leveraging its learnings.
🔗 The future of Flipkart Minutes
With Biswas at the helm, Flipkart aims to capture urban Indian consumers’ loyalty through faster deliveries and exclusive offerings. The company plans to expand Minutes aggressively to match Amazon's reach. This appointment signals Walmart’s confidence in India's quick-commerce potential, despite its challenges globally. Experts expect intense rivalry in the sector as the e-commerce giants race to redefine convenience.
Will Flipkart Minutes outperform rivals in India’s urban markets?
