Flipkart is reportedly testing a food delivery service with 8,000 employees as it explores opportunities in India’s competitive food delivery market. Here’s what the reported trial could mean for its business expansion plans.
Flipkart is getting ready to enter India’s online food delivery space. The e-commerce giant is planning to launch a new service by the end of this month. This move will directly challenge existing players like Swiggy and Zomato. The company has already started testing the home delivery feature for food orders.
‘Eat-in by Minutes’ enters testing phase
Flipkart is testing its new food delivery service under the brand name ‘Eat-in by Minutes’. India Today Tech reported this development based on a TechCrunch report. The company is running the initial testing phase in Bengaluru. Reports suggest Flipkart linked this new name to its quick commerce platform, ‘Flipkart Minutes’. The service might go live by the end of this month, but we still do not know which cities will get it first.
Flipkart has not given any official statement about this yet. However, Flipkart Group Chief Executive Officer Kalyan Krishnamurthy confirmed in July this year that the company was planning to start a food delivery service.
Pilot service for 8,000 employees
The company is currently running the test only for its internal employees. The pilot program started with a few hundred staff members. Flipkart has now expanded this test to include around 8,000 employees. The Flipkart shopping app now features a dedicated tab for this new service. The food delivery section will sit right next to other services like Flipkart Minutes and travel booking.
Ekart steps in for food delivery
The new platform will feature restaurants listed on the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). It will also include restaurants that have signed direct contracts with Flipkart. The company will use a special delivery network from its logistics arm, Ekart, to deliver food to customers. The delivery executives handling food orders will be different from the quick commerce delivery staff. Reports mention that people have spotted delivery executives wearing ‘Eat-in by Minutes’ t-shirts in Bengaluru.
Tough fight for Zomato and Swiggy
Zomato and Swiggy currently rule the Indian food delivery market. Ken Research data shows that Zomato held a 58 percent market share in 2024, while Swiggy captured about 34 percent. Rapido also launched a food delivery service called ‘Only’, but it is available only in limited areas. Big tech companies like Uber, Amazon, and Google tried to enter this space earlier. They failed to make a major impact on the market. Uber eventually sold its Uber Eats India business to Zomato in 2020.
Online food market keeps growing
Market experts believe India’s online food delivery sector still has massive growth potential, despite the heavy competition. Brokerage firm Bernstein reports that online delivery makes up just over 15 percent of the total food services market right now. Data shows this market is growing at a solid rate of 18 percent to 20 percent every year. Flipkart’s entry will definitely heat up the competition in India’s food delivery space.