Amazon Now Expands Beyond Internal Testing
E-commerce giant Amazon has officially launched its 10-minute delivery service, ‘Amazon Now’, in select areas of Bangalore. The company had been testing the service internally among employees for a few weeks before rolling it out in specific pin codes.
Plans for Expansion and Product Range
According to reports, Amazon is planning to expand this quick commerce service to more locations soon. Initially tested under the name ‘Tez’, the service focused on grocery and daily essentials. Now, Amazon is also onboarding beauty, home, and kitchen brands, broadening its product range.
Amazon’s Late Entry in the Quick Commerce Race
Amazon had announced in November last year its intention to speed up deliveries to 20-30 minutes. In early 2024, the company expanded its grocery delivery service to 130 cities, including smaller towns like Ambala, Aurangabad, Hoshiarpur, Dharwad, and Una.
Despite its efforts, Amazon is a late entrant in the quick commerce space. Rival Flipkart launched its ‘Minutes’ service in August last year, capitalizing on rising customer demand for instant deliveries.
Intensifying Competition in Quick Commerce
The quick commerce battle is no longer limited to metro cities, with major players expanding into Tier II and Tier III cities. Companies are also increasing the number of dark stores (small fulfillment centers that enable ultra-fast deliveries).
Earlier this year, Zomato announced plans to establish 2,000 dark stores by December 2025. Meanwhile, Swiggy has already introduced 10-minute food delivery in 400 cities, aggressively expanding into smaller markets.
Will Amazon Be Able to Keep Up?
With Amazon’s entry into quick commerce, it will be interesting to see how it competes with Swiggy, Zomato, and Flipkart. As consumer demand for ultra-fast delivery continues to grow, the competition in this sector is set to get even more intense.
