New Delhi: Indian quick commerce companies Swiggy and IPO-bound Zepto have removed references to ‘10-minute’ delivery from their branding, according to their apps, following a government directive aimed at curbing the promotion of ultra-fast delivery timelines.
The government had ordered Eternal-owned Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy to stop advertising grocery deliveries as a ‘10-minute’ service. The move comes during growing regulatory scrutiny of the fast-growing quick commerce sector.
Rash driving and low pay
Concerns around the industry have centred on fears of rash driving by delivery riders and low pay structures that may penalise workers for failing to complete orders within tight timeframes. According to data from Datum Intelligence, India’s quick commerce sector is currently valued at about $11.5 billion.
Commenting on the development, Karan Taurani, Executive Vice President at Elara Capital, stated that the removal of the 10-minute delivery tagline is largely optics-driven rather than a fundamental shift in operations.
Taurani added that quick commerce continues to be built on speed, convenience, and proximity-led fulfilment, which remains structurally superior to traditional horizontal e-commerce delivery timelines.
Eternal later clarified that there has been no change to the business model of its quick commerce platform, Blinkit. Sources noted that the labour ministry raised the issue during a closed-door meeting with representatives from the three companies, urging them to stop promoting their services as offering 10-minute deliveries.
The development comes as quick commerce firms in India remain locked in an intense battle for market share, investing billions of dollars to open more stores as urban consumers increasingly favour rapid deliveries like in 10-minutes of everything from groceries to electronics.
In market reaction, Swiggy’s shares pared earlier losses after falling as much as 2.6 percent during the session and were last down 1.23 percent, while shares of Eternal climbed about 1 percent.
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