Flipkart to Pilot Online Food Delivery in India, Challenging Zomato and Swiggy

Walmart-owned Flipkart is set to enter India's online food delivery market, with a pilot expected to begin within the next 30 days, marking a fresh push yet into a sector dominated by Zomato and Swiggy.

Speaking to The Times of India, Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy confirmed that the ecommerce major will launch a food delivery pilot before deciding on a wider rollout.

"Food delivery is another customer use case within our broader e-commerce platform. We will begin with a pilot, learn from it, and decide how to scale across the rest of the country," he said.

Krishnamurthy dismissed suggestions that the market has already matured, saying companies with a strong value proposition and disciplined execution can still disrupt established players.

"There is no such thing as waiting too long. It's a combination of having the right value proposition and a good execution plan... if they execute well, if they have a solid team, if they are focused, they can easily win," he told TOI.

The comments come months after ET reported in February that Flipkart was evaluating an entry into online food delivery, with a Bengaluru pilot under consideration and a broader launch likely later this year or early next year. ET had also reported that the company was exploring whether to build a standalone platform or launch a buyer-side application on the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), while simultaneously building a dedicated team for the business.

Flipkart's move comes as competition in India's food delivery market intensifies. According to Jefferies, the sector, estimated at around $9 billion in FY25, is expected to grow to $25 billion by FY30, driven by improving affordability, faster deliveries and rising consumer adoption.

The market is currently led by Eternal-owned Zomato and Swiggy, while newer entrants such as Rapido's Ownly and ONDC-based platforms are also trying to gain market share. The segment has also seen the rise of 10-minute food delivery formats, including Swiggy Bolt, Blinkit's Bistro and Zepto Cafe.

Flipkart has already expanded aggressively in quick commerce through Minutes, which, as reported earlier by ET, operates more than 800 dark stores and is ramping up investments to compete with Blinkit, Zepto and Instamart.

Krishnamurthy said Flipkart's strategy is to focus on customer value rather than timing its market entry.

"Nothing is over. Somebody has innovated, somebody has disrupted and eventually the market expanded. New players will also come into the market," he told TOI.