Amazon to enter quick commerce race with 15-min delivery

Amazon India is set to roll out its 15-minute delivery service later this month in Bengaluru, effectively entering India’s fast-growing quick commerce market, country manager Samir Kumar said this week.

The service, which was initially dubbed ‘Tez,’ will target customers looking for rapid delivery of everyday essentials, Kumar said, adding that the pilot will cover about 2,000 products, with plans to expand into other cities, the country manager added.

“We will be starting a pilot to give customers a choice to get their everyday essentials in 15 min or less,” Kumar said at Amazon’s flagship event, Smbhav, in Delhi on Tuesday.

“Our strategy has always focused on ‘selection, value and convenience’ and our vision is to build a large profitable business in India…while we focus on implementing our strategy to offer the largest selection at fastest speeds and greatest value to customers in every single pin-code across the country,” he added.

The quick commerce market in India is valued at over $6 billion annually, and has been primarily driven by urban customers’ increasing preference for faster deliveries.

Amazon’s competitors such as Zomato’s Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and Zepto dominate this sector, alongside Flipkart and BigBasket.

Amazon’s extensive customer base, including its Prime members, provides a strong base for this new service, the company said.

“We already have millions of customers across India who trust us and will look forward to this convenience,” Kumar said.

Amazon will be the sixth major entrant in the competitive Indian quick commerce market, which, Morgan Stanley predicts, could hit $42 billion by 2030.