Flipkart Minutes buoyant as quick-commerce demand surges during festivities

Flipkart Minutes buoyant as quick-commerce demand surges during festivities

Currently, it has presence in 19 cities and over 2,900 pin codes

Flipkart Minutes, the quick-commerce service of Walmart-owned Flipkart, has stated that it is upbeat about the festive season sales.

It witnessed strong buying sentiments during Raksha Bandhan, Independence Day sales, and Janmashtami, as customers increasingly lean on instant deliveries amid celebrations.

Marking one year of operations, Flipkart Minutes recorded 50 percent month-on-month growth (over 50 million unique visitors) since its launch.

The platform was doubling order volumes every 45 days and was halfway to the target of launching 800 dark stores across India.

In its second year of operations, the focus is on strengthening technology, expanding into new cities witnessing increased demand for quick commerce, deepening partnerships with brands and enhancing the overall customer experience.

Kabeer Biswas, Vice President, Flipkart Minutes, stated, "We believe there is a lot of latent demand for customers wanting everything to come to them much faster."

He added that the availability of space and gig workforce, along with the growing ease of digital payments and online shopping habits, was fuelling, and would continue to support the rapid growth of quick commerce in the country.

Biswas further expressed, "Number of factors are playing out. In India, the jump was from 2G to 4G, and not 3G. Quick commerce business is similar to that. People have gone ahead and used a lot of on-demand services, learning what online purchases feel like. Some want to buy essential products daily, because they have learned to transact online conveniently. There are also larger macro factors.”

Meanwhile, the platform has expanded to over 900 categories, including food and beverages, essentials, personal care, electronics, and lifestyle-led segments. It received a strong response in the smartphone segment with 5 lakh smartphones and over 20 lakh consumer electronic units sold in the first year.

On Raksha Bandhan, Flipkart Minutes recorded a 30-fold surge in gifting orders, underscoring the growing trend among consumers to rely on quick commerce for time-sensitive moments.

The most active shopping window on the app was observed between 7 pm and 9 pm, with 8 pm emerging as the single busiest hour for Rakhi gifting.

Commenting on the scenario, Hemant Badri, Senior Vice President and Head of Supply Chain, Customer Experience, Re-Commerce and Minutes, at Flipkart, said, "There’s a positive sentiment. We saw a lot of upbeat moments of sales during Raksha Bandhan, Independence Day and Janmashtami. So, we have a great path for festivity and are very bullish.”

With a presence in 19 cities and over 2,900 pin codes, for the upcoming festival season, the company hopes to increase inventory depth in high-demand categories, including daily essentials, mobiles, consumer electronics, gifting, and festive-specific assortments.

Flipkart Minutes will leverage its AI-led demand to anticipate buying patterns across regions and ensure the right products are available. Meanwhile, Ekart's last-mile network and dark store capacity are also being spruced up to manage significantly higher orders per day.