Myntra, India’s premier fashion e-commerce platform, is shaking up its delivery game with a bold move: a four-hour delivery service in four key Indian cities. This leap from its usual 2-3 day delivery period comes as a response to the quick commerce wave that’s revolutionizing consumer habits.
The company, part of the Flipkart Group, is testing this speedy new service in cities like Bengaluru and New Delhi, sources familiar with the initiative revealed. The goal is to roll out the four-hour delivery across multiple Indian cities by the end of the year, our sources added, preferring to remain anonymous as the plans are still under wraps.
This ambitious move is Myntra’s answer to the escalating quick commerce trend in India, where various firms are rapidly capturing the market with blazing-fast delivery times, typically between 10 to 15 minutes. Some of these firms are also delving into item returns, hinting at plans to branch out into fashion—a category notorious for high return rates.
Myntra’s strategy highlights Flipkart’s nimbleness in the fiercely competitive Indian e-commerce landscape. In light of quick commerce’s growing popularity, Flipkart, owned by Walmart, has recently jumped into the rapid delivery fray. Interestingly, Amazon, Flipkart’s main rival in India, has yet to follow suit.
Traditionally, Myntra’s delivery timeline has been 2-3 days. However, efforts to speed things up have been underway for the past two years. For instance, their Express service already delivers products within 24 to 48 hours in selected cities.
An internal study by Myntra pointed out that customers significantly favor shorter delivery times, leading to increased purchase completion rates. However, when approached for comments, Myntra chose not to respond.
Fashion e-commerce is notoriously tricky in India due to the vast variety of choices and high rates of product rejections by customers. Last year, Myntra boasted around 40 million annual transacting users, according to data shared with the Economic Times.
During its fast delivery trial phase, Myntra is offering a more limited product range, fine-tuning logistics for this new service.
Meanwhile, other quick commerce startups are gaining traction across India, enticing customers with unparalleled convenience. Companies such as Zomato-owned BlinkIt, Tata-owned BigBasket’s BB Now, and StepStone-backed Zepto, alongside Swiggy’s Instamart, are collectively reaching an annualized run rate of over $6 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV), a significant jump from last year’s $2.5 billion.
This quick commerce boom is prompting analysts and investors to predict a broad impact on the wider e-commerce sector in India, which recorded approximately $50 billion in sales last year.
JPMorgan analysts recently noted that quick commerce firms are quickly encroaching on the market shares of traditional shops, modern trade retailers, and other e-commerce players. Zepto, in particular, is projecting a 150% growth over the next year, underscoring the rapid evolution and immense potential of quick commerce in the Indian market.
