Flipkart Launches Standalone Quick Commerce App Minutes
Flipkart has launched a standalone beta app for its quick commerce service, Minutes, offering zero platform fees and free delivery on orders over ₹99.
Flipkart has launched a dedicated, standalone application for its quick commerce platform, Minutes. The beta app is now live on the Google Play Store but is only available to a select number of users, with Inc42 verifying its availability in limited pockets of Delhi NCR.
On the app, Minutes promises zero platform fees, discounts, and free deliveries for orders above ₹99. Its current product catalogue includes kitchen staples, fruits, gourmet items, and other daily essentials. This limited launch indicates Flipkart is testing the app's performance and user experience before a wider rollout.
A Shift to a Standalone Identity
The launch of a dedicated app marks a strategic shift. Previously, Minutes operated as a service within the main Flipkart application. By giving it a separate interface, Flipkart aims to create a more focused experience for quick shopping and build a distinct identity for the business. This move comes amid fierce competition in India's quick commerce sector, where rivals like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart are heavily investing in dark stores and customer discounts.
Flipkart has been aggressively scaling its own dark store network to compete. As of June, Minutes operated 1,000 micro-fulfilment centres across 130 cities. At that time, Minutes head Kunal Gupta said the company planned to expand to 1,500 centres across 180 cities.
Scale and Performance Metrics
A recent UBS brokerage report provided insights into the platform's operations. The report noted that Minutes could add another 1,000 dark stores by mid-2027. If this expansion happens, it would nearly double the network to around 2,000 stores.
The UBS analysis also detailed key performance metrics for Minutes' dark stores.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average daily orders per dark store | 800-1,000 |
| Daily orders at mature stores (5-6 months old) | 1,200-1,500 |
| Net order value (excluding mobile phones) | ₹500-₹530 |
| Metro city contribution to demand | 60%-65% |
The report added that while Minutes' gross margins are improving, they remain "well below Blinkit's."
Parallel Push into Food Delivery
The standalone app launch occurred just hours after Flipkart began piloting a food delivery service called Eat In among its employees in Bengaluru. According to Moneycontrol, the Walmart-owned giant plans to roll out the service to all employees by September 15 before debuting it for consumers in Bengaluru.
Inc42 reported that Minutes will initially manage orders and fulfilment for the food service. Flipkart plans to use its vast user base of roughly 500 million registered users and 40 million SuperCoins users to cross-sell food orders. To control costs, the company will initially use its Ekart logistics network and integrate with ONDC for restaurant onboarding.
Flipkart is reportedly considering a base commission of 12%-13% for restaurants, a move aimed at addressing industry grievances against the dominant players, Zomato and Swiggy. While Flipkart has deep pockets to challenge the duopoly, past challengers like Amazon Food, Ola, and Paytm have failed to change consumer behaviour. This competition unfolds in India's growing foodtech ecosystem, which is projected to become a $46 billion opportunity by 2034.
