Athira Sethu
Kochi, 3 December 2024
Flipkart is going to be the first quick commerce service firm to deliver medicines in less than 10 minutes, reports said.
The company’s Flipkart Minutes service has begun its work with local pharmacies in large cities, where products are to be sold and delivered by Flipkart’s delivery partners. This service is an absolutely new and untapped area in the quick commerce sector that aims to speed up prescription medicines delivery, report by the Economic Times said.
To comply with drug regulations in India, Flipkart cannot own inventory and will have to partner with registered pharmacies. The company is building Flipkart Minutes into a full quick commerce platform, starting with medicines. Instead of services that take an hour or several days, the goal is to deliver medicines in just 10 minutes.
Reports said quick delivery of medicines holds great promise with higher margins than grocery and food. Flipkart is now expanding into the online medicine market, which is led by Netmeds, Tata 1mg, and Apollo Pharmacy.
Flipkart Minutes, starting in Bengaluru in August, is now available in the cities of Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai. The company is planning to offer the service in 8-10 more cities including the ones of Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad, and Chennai. Flipkart has also collaborated with local grocery stores and other sellers to provide more offerings, hoping free deliveries to attract more customers.
India’s quick commerce market is growing rapidly, valued at nearly $9.94 billion by 2029, in comparison to the current $3.34 billion, according to a recent report by Grant Thornton Bharat.
