Flipkart launches 90-minute delivery service in Bengaluru

Leading e-commerce firm Flipkart on Tuesday (July 28) kicked off the new hyperlocal service Flipkart Quick in Bengaluru.

As part of the first phase, Flipkart Quick will offer to deliver 2,000 products in categories varying from Grocery, Fresh, Dairy, Meat, Mobiles, Electronics Accessories, Stationery Items and Home Accessories.

Customers can expect the ordered goods to be delivered within 90 minutes and also get an option to book a 2-hour slot as per their convenience. Also, there are no time restrictions to place the order and get it delivered between 6:00 am and 12:00 am. However, they have to pay a minimum delivery fee of Rs 29.

“Hyperlocal capabilities can be described simply as building connections between locally available products and consumers in a particular area. This is a great model for India as households of all sizes are already used to their neighbourhood Kirana stores. In fact, Indian families are so comfortable with what we call the ‘hyperlocal context’, that there is a tendency to develop deep, familial ties with vendors, shopkeepers and service providers - now with the convenience of e-commerce. While we start with our dark store (no-walkin) model, wherein we enable sellers to store inventory close to the consumer; this model has the potential of encouraging local entrepreneurship and enabling new business strategies and partnerships. Today, with Flipkart Quick - our Hyperlocal capability, we have the potential to bring together the whole network of neighbourhood Kirana stores onto our platform with just a click,” said Sandeep Karwa, Vice-President, Flipkart.

With the global outbreak of COVID-19 in March, both the e-commerce and the retail sector witnessed radical changes in terms of interaction with consumers and also led to innovation in the business model.

"The hyperlocal category, known for being a convenience for many, has now emerged to be a long-term essential service for the country. It has led to a significant change in consumer psyche and expectations with the CAGR expected to be considerable, with the Indian hyperlocal market potentially exceeding INR 2,306 crore by 2020 (pre-COVID industry estimates)," Flipkart said.

As part of the pilot programme, Flipkart Quick is available in select areas of Bengaluru including Whitefield, Panathur, HSR Layout, BTM Layout, Banashankari, KR Puram and Indiranagar.

After Bengaluru, Walmart-owned company plans to expand Flipkart Quick service to six other cities in the next few months.

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