Flipkart's q-commerce entry weeks away, will take on Zepto, Blinkit, Instamart

livemint.com:

NEW DELHI : Mumbai: Flipkart's much-anticipated plunge into quick commerce can be expected in India's top metro cities within “weeks", a top official said, as the Walmart-backed e-commerce company beefs up its supply chains to take on the likes of Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, and Zomato's Blinkit in a market growing at breakneck speed. “It'll be a few weeks from now; we'll start in a few large cities and progress as we move forward," Hemant Badri, senior vice president, head of supply chain, customer experience and recommerce business, Flipkart Group, said in an interview.

Adding that Flipkart would play to its strengths—wide variety of choices, knowledge of consumer shopping habits and the presence of a large platform—Badri said the customer proposition for quick commerce is “very strong", explaining the company’s rationale behind investing in the segment. The company will offer a wide assortment of goods on quick commerce including home appliances, apart from focusing on key categories such as staples, munchies, fruits and vegetables.

Also read | Flipkart has FOMO? Zepto and Blinkit are changing the e-commerce giant “The convenience offered by quick commerce has resonated well with urban users whose average order value is a sizable at ₹450-600, with product basket encompassing even electronics, stationery, gifting, festive products and beyond," analysts at Jefferies said in a March report. "Brands are also enthused given the rapid scale-up of the channel." Badri declined to share investment numbers behind the company's entry into quick-commerce.