India’s quick commerce industry is booming, with demand more than doubling for some players. But the fast-delivery push by Flipkart and Amazon is raising the stakes in an already crowded space where profitability remains under pressure.

Flipkart, one of India’s largest e-commerce players, entered quick commerce later than local rivals such as Blinkit, Swiggy, and Zepto. But it has now crossed more than 800 dark stores (distribution centers for online shopping) this week, TechCrunch has learned, and is looking to double that by the end of 2026, according to UBS.

The expansion comes as India’s quick commerce sector enters a more intense phase of competition. The strain is reflected in recent developments, including the departure of a co-founder at Swiggy this week, as companies reassess strategy amid rising competition and costs.

The Walmart-owned business debuted in quick commerce with Flipkart Minutes in August 2024, offering deliveries across categories in as little as 10 minutes. Since then, the sector has expanded rapidly. More than 6,000 dark stores are now in operation, leading to significant overlap among players in major cities and intensifying competition, Bernstein mentioned in a report earlier this week.

Beyond major cities

Flipkart’s network in India remains smaller than that of marketplace leader Blinkit, which has over 2,200 dark stores, according to Bernstein. Flipkart is betting on expanding beyond major cities to drive growth. This is unlike Blinkit, which plans to scale to , on the other hand3,000 dark stores by 2027 while focusing on its top 10 cities.

“Flipkart has this Walmart DNA,” noted Satish Meena, founder of Gurugram-based consumer insights firm Datum Intelligence. “Walmart’s DNA is always about expanding the total addressable opportunity to dominate by expanding the market.”

Flipkart is already seeing traction beyond major cities, with 25–30% of its quick commerce orders now coming from minor towns, a source familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. Orders per dark store have also grown about 25% month-on-month, the person commented.

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Still, some analysts see a longer-term opportunity beyond major cities. “Non-metros (small towns) can give a surge if companies expand beyond groceries and offer a wider range of items at faster speeds,” stated Datum’s Satish Meena. “Flipkart is betting on that.”

Nevertheless, scaling beyond large cities will take time. Quick commerce is currently viable in about 125 cities, with dark stores typically taking six to 12 months to reach maturity and profitability, noted Aditya Soman, a senior research analyst at CLSA, a Hong Kong-based brokerage. Many of the newer stores in smaller towns are still in the ramp-up phase, he added.

Amazon, which entered India’s quick commerce industry in late 2024 shortly after Flipkart’s debut, is also ramping up its presence. The e-commerce giant has rolled out around 450–500 dark stores so far, with about 330–370 currently operational, as it looks to tap into growing demand for faster deliveries. This also touches on aspects of software update.

Pressure mounting on incumbents

Flipkart is not just relying on dark, according to UBS-store expansion to compete but also aggressive pricing. The firm is offering some of the highest discounts in the segment — around 23–24% across categories, based on a sample basket analyzed by Jefferies last month — as it looks to attract users in a sector where price and convenience remain key drivers of demand.

The pressure from such strategies seems to be working. Brokerage firm JM Financial recently warned that Swiggy’s quick commerce business is caught in a “growth-versus-profitability deadlock” and risks destroying shareholder value, adding that a takeover by a larger, better-capitalized player may be the best outcome for investors.

Shares of Eternal, which owns Blinkit, are down about 15% so far this year, while Swiggy has fallen over 29%, even as Zepto is preparing to go public on Indian stock exchanges later this year.

The entry and expansion of large players such as Flipkart and Amazon are reshaping the competitive landscape. “Quick commerce is no longer in a startup phase — it has become a huge players’ game,” stated Ankur Bisen, a senior partner at retail consultancy Technopak Advisors.

He added that the sector’s economics and limited differentiation could eventually drive consolidation, as companies compete for the same set of customers in a discount-heavy industry.

Amazon, Flipkart, and Swiggy did not respond to requests for comment. Eternal declined to comment, while Zepto commented it could not comment due to a silent period following its IPO filing.

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