In a bid to expand beyond the grocery segment, Zomato-owned Blinkit is set to launch a cafe feature for delivering snacks and beverages.
Rapid͏͏ Deliveries͏͏ of͏͏ Popular͏͏ Snacks:
The͏͏ feature͏͏ will͏͏ launch͏͏ in͏͏ select͏͏ cities͏͏ later͏͏ this͏͏ month,͏͏ enabling͏͏ rapid͏͏ deliveries͏͏ of͏͏ popular͏͏ snacks͏͏ like͏͏ samosas͏͏ and͏͏ sandwiches,͏͏ according͏͏ to͏͏ Mint.
Blinkit͏͏ plans͏͏ to͏͏ introduce͏͏ items͏͏ that͏͏ require͏͏ preparation,͏͏ such͏͏ as͏͏ pasta͏͏ and͏͏ noodles,͏͏ depending͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ demand͏͏ for͏͏ these͏͏ deliveries.
Competing͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ Quick͏͏ Delivery͏͏ Market:
This͏͏ offering͏͏ will͏͏ directly͏͏ rival͏͏ Zepto͏͏ Cafe͏͏ and͏͏ Swiggy’s͏͏ ‘Cafe’,͏͏ which͏͏ was͏͏ launched͏͏ to͏͏ deliver͏͏ snacks͏͏ and͏͏ beverages͏͏ in͏͏ just͏͏ 15͏͏ minutes͏͏ in͏͏ select͏͏ parts͏͏ of͏͏ Bengaluru.
Currently,͏͏ Swiggy͏͏ Cafe͏͏ has͏͏ curated͏͏ a͏͏ selection͏͏ of͏͏ beverage͏͏ options,͏͏ including͏͏ coffee,͏͏ milkshakes,͏͏ and͏͏ protein͏͏ bars͏͏ from͏͏ brands͏͏ like͏͏ Blue͏͏ Tokai͏͏ and͏͏ The͏͏ Whole͏͏ Truth.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Swiggy͏͏ rolls͏͏ out͏͏ ‘Cafe’͏͏ to͏͏ deliver͏͏ snacks͏͏ and͏͏ beverages͏͏ within͏͏ 15͏͏ minutes
Zepto͏͏ led͏͏ the͏͏ way͏͏ in͏͏ quick͏͏ snack͏͏ deliveries͏͏ by͏͏ launching͏͏ Zepto͏͏ Cafe͏͏ in͏͏ Mumbai͏͏ in͏͏ 2022.͏͏ The͏͏ platform͏͏ uses͏͏ a͏͏ hybrid͏͏ model͏͏ to͏͏ deliver͏͏ both͏͏ branded͏͏ pre-made͏͏ food͏͏ items͏͏ and͏͏ non-branded͏͏ options.
Zepto͏͏ asserts͏͏ that͏͏ this͏͏ addition͏͏ has͏͏ increased͏͏ average͏͏ order͏͏ values,͏͏ as͏͏ users͏͏ tend͏͏ to͏͏ order͏͏ tea,͏͏ coffee,͏͏ and͏͏ snacks͏͏ alongside͏͏ their͏͏ groceries.͏͏ However,͏͏ the͏͏ exact͏͏ revenue͏͏ generated͏͏ from͏͏ the͏͏ Cafe͏͏ vertical͏͏ remains͏͏ unclear.
Quick͏͏ Commerce͏͏ Platforms͏͏ Diversify:
In͏͏ the͏͏ past͏͏ six͏͏ months,͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ players͏͏ have͏͏ expanded͏͏ their͏͏ operations͏͏ and͏͏ diversified͏͏ their͏͏ catalogues͏͏ to͏͏ cater͏͏ to͏͏ rising͏͏ consumer͏͏ demand.͏͏ Almost͏͏ all͏͏ platforms,͏͏ including͏͏ Swiggy͏͏ Instamart͏͏ and͏͏ the͏͏ new͏͏ Flipkart͏͏ Minutes,͏͏ have͏͏ ventured͏͏ into͏͏ categories͏͏ such͏͏ as͏͏ electronics,͏͏ beauty,͏͏ pet͏͏ care,͏͏ toys,͏͏ and͏͏ smaller͏͏ household͏͏ appliances.
Blinkit Sees͏͏ Significant͏͏ Growth:
For͏͏ Blinkit,͏͏ these͏͏ additions͏͏ led͏͏ to͏͏ a͏͏ 130%͏͏ increase͏͏ in͏͏ gross͏͏ order͏͏ value͏͏ (GOV),͏͏ rising͏͏ to͏͏ INR͏͏ 4,923͏͏ crore͏͏ in͏͏ Q1͏͏ FY25͏͏ from͏͏ INR͏͏ 2,140͏͏ crore͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ same͏͏ quarter͏͏ last͏͏ year.͏͏ Sequentially,͏͏ this͏͏ marks͏͏ a͏͏ 22.2%͏͏ rise͏͏ from͏͏ INR͏͏ 4,027͏͏ crore͏͏ in͏͏ Q4͏͏ FY24.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Blinkit sees͏͏ 22%͏͏ QoQ͏͏ revenue͏͏ growth͏͏ to͏͏ INR͏͏ 942͏͏ Cr͏͏ in͏͏ Q1,͏͏ adjusted͏͏ EBITDA͏͏ loss͏͏ drops͏͏ to͏͏ INR͏͏ 3͏͏ Cr
Blinkit͏͏ currently͏͏ operates͏͏ 639͏͏ dark͏͏ stores͏͏ nationwide,͏͏ with͏͏ the͏͏ average͏͏ daily͏͏ gross͏͏ order͏͏ value͏͏ (GOV)͏͏ per͏͏ store͏͏ increasing͏͏ to͏͏ INR͏͏ 10͏͏ lakh,͏͏ up͏͏ from͏͏ INR͏͏ 6͏͏ lakh͏͏ from͏͏ 383͏͏ stores͏͏ previously.͏͏ The͏͏ company͏͏ plans͏͏ to͏͏ expand͏͏ its͏͏ dark͏͏ store͏͏ count͏͏ to͏͏ 2,000͏͏ by͏͏ the͏͏ end͏͏ of͏͏ 2026͏͏ while͏͏ ensuring͏͏ profitability.
Brokerage͏͏ CLSA’s͏͏ analysis͏͏ indicates͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ gross͏͏ order͏͏ value͏͏ of͏͏ major͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ players͏͏ like͏͏ Blinkit,͏͏ Zepto,͏͏ and͏͏ Swiggy͏͏ Instamart͏͏ is͏͏ set͏͏ to͏͏ reach͏͏ $10͏͏ billion͏͏ by͏͏ the͏͏ financial͏͏ year͏͏ 2025-26͏͏ (FY26),͏͏ driven͏͏ by͏͏ their͏͏ expansion͏͏ beyond͏͏ groceries͏͏ and͏͏ into͏͏ Tier͏͏ 2͏͏ and͏͏ Tier͏͏ 3͏͏ markets.
