Flipkart, the e-commerce company owned by Walmart, is testing a food delivery service in Bengaluru. The trial has expanded from a few hundred to over 8,000 employees. The service is integrated into the main Flipkart app under the brand Eat-in by Minutes and utilizes a dedicated logistics fleet through Ekart.
The platform sources restaurants via the government-backed ONDC network and direct partnerships. Flipkart has proposed a base commission of approximately 10% for restaurants, significantly lower than the 20% to 25% typically charged by market leaders Zomato and Swiggy. Total costs for restaurants, including promotions, are expected to be around 15% to 16%.
Bernstein analysts note that the Indian food delivery market grows by 18% to 20% annually, though online delivery represents only 15% of the total food services sector. Zomato and Swiggy currently serve 85 million to 95 million customers annually. New entrants may offer savings of 20 to 30 rupees per order to attract users.
Flipkart plans a public launch of the service by the end of October. The company aims to expand its operations to five or six cities by the end of this year. This move follows previous unsuccessful attempts by Amazon, Google, and Uber to capture a share of the Indian food delivery market.
