Amazon Launches Four-hour Delivery In 50 Towns

The service will be available in Surat, Mysuru, Mangalore, Bhopal, Nashik, Nellore, Anantapur, Warangal, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Patna, among others, and product categories include wireless, consumer electronics, books, toys, media, kitchen.

The announcement comes at a time when quick-commerce market in India has been gaining popularity, with startups and e-commerce players such as Flipkart, Zomato’s Blinkit, Zepto, Dunzo, and Swiggy’s Instamart battling to acquire customers and promising deliveries within minutes.

Amazon’s rival Flipkart had launched Flipkart Quick in 2020 in Bengaluru, which it expanded to 14 cities including Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Pune in 2021. It allows consumers to order online and get delivery within the next 90 minutes or book a two-hour slot for categories across groceries, snacks, mobile and electronics.

Amazon first introduced same-day delivery in India in 2017 as a part of its prime membership, its loyalty programme. For the four-hour delivery, it uses specialised centres strategically located to cover different parts of the city to optimise faster delivery speeds.

“We’re able to do so by storing the needed items in specialised buildings closer to customer location and enabling our delivery network to be in close proximity to customers and Prime members. Same-Day Delivery also provides great job opportunities for associates, especially since the site locations are within the city," said Abhinav Singh, director, Customer Fulfilment, Supply Chain & Amazon Transportation Services, Amazon India.

Quick commerce market in India is set to touch $5.5 billion by 2025, growing 15 times its current size and leading other markets, including China, in terms of customer adoption, according to a note by RedSeer.

Swiggy’s Instamart, Zepto, Blinkit currently all promise delivery within minutes. The startups, which are burning capital to add customers, have also faced criticism on the sustainability of the business models.