Quick commerce company Blinkit has reduced delivery charges in select micro-markets across cities such as Gurgaon, Bengaluru and Mumbai, as it responds to heightened competitive pressure from rivals including Amazon and Flipkart, according to people familiar with the matter.
The move is understood to be targeted rather than nationwide, aimed at protecting Blinkit’s core customer cohorts in markets where competition has intensified due to aggressive expansion by newer and existing players. An industry executive said the company had historically taken a flexible approach to competitive threats and was adjusting fees selectively to safeguard its leadership position, particularly as platforms such as Amazon Now rapidly scale operations in certain key locations where Blinkit is already present.
Over the past three to four months, other quick commerce platforms have also eased charges to attract and retain users. Zepto and Swiggy’s Instamart had lowered or waived various fees for customers meeting minimum cart value thresholds. At the time, Blinkit had maintained its existing pricing structure. Following the closure of a $450 million funding round in October, Zepto removed handling and surge charges on every order and reduced the minimum order value for free delivery to Rs 99. Instamart subsequently introduced similar fee waivers.
Manufacturers of grocery essentials and daily-use products have increasingly relied on quick commerce platforms over the past two years to drive incremental sales, benefiting from faster delivery times and denser urban coverage.
Last month, Amazon India’s Amit Agarwal said the company was witnessing strong customer adoption in cities where its quick commerce service had been launched. He noted that within 90 days of opening a micro-fulfilment centre, or dark store, Amazon was seeing Prime members in the surrounding area shift their purchases to its platform. In December, Amazon was adding two dark stores each day, reaching approximately 300 by the end of the year.
According to BofA Research, Blinkit remains the market leader in quick commerce, controlling more than half of the segment. The remainder is split among Zepto, Instamart, Tata Digital-backed BigBasket, Flipkart Minutes and Amazon Now. Walmart-owned Flipkart is also expanding aggressively in the 10-minute delivery space and is on track to operate around 800 dark stores across its network.
