Flipkart plots Bengaluru food delivery pilot, aiming to disrupt India’s US$9B duopoly

INDIA – Walmart-owned e-commerce giant Flipkart is preparing to test the waters of India’s online food delivery market, with a pilot program slated for Bengaluru around May or June.

The move would pitch the IPO-bound heavyweight directly against entrenched incumbents Zomato and Swiggy in a sector projected to nearly triple to US$25 billion by 2030.

Standalone App or ONDC: Two Roads to the Same Kitchen

Flipkart isn’t rushing in blindly.

Sources reveal the company is weighing two distinct paths: launching its own standalone food delivery platform or building a buyer-side application on the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

This isn’t Flipkart’s first flirtation with food, it explored similar ONDC-driven entry about two years ago alongside Ola and Paytm, but those plans never left the stove.

This time feels different. A dedicated team is already being assembled, with a clear mandate to find “differentiated positioning” in a famously crowded kitchen.

800 Dark Stores and an IPO Appetite

Flipkart’s timing is strategic.

Its quick commerce vertical, Minutes, now operates more than 800 dark stores nationwide, a logistical backbone that could turbocharge food delivery expansion.

With the company preparing for a public listing, adding another high-frequency consumer service strengthens its growth narrative for prospective investors.

The broader e-commerce sector is showing early recovery signs, and Flipkart narrowed losses across most entities in FY25 through disciplined cost controls.

A Graveyard of Ambitions, Yet the Market Beckons

India’s food delivery history is littered with expensive wrecks.

Uber burned an estimated US$20 million monthly before selling Uber Eats to Zomato for US$350 million.

Ola’s multiple attempts, Cafes, Foodpanda, Dash, were all quietly wound down.

Amazon tried and retreated. Yet the market remains tantalizing. Jefferies notes the category is transitioning from “indulgence-led” to “everyday consumption,” with annual transacting users projected to swell from 100 million to 150 million by 2030.

Rapido’s Ownly Is Already There, and It’s Zero-Commission

Flipkart won’t be alone in its assault.

Urban mobility player Rapido completed its Bengaluru-wide rollout of Ownly earlier this month, offering restaurants a zero-commission model with flat delivery fees.

Developed with the National Restaurant Association of India, Ownly directly addresses restaurant grievances about high commissions and data opacity on larger platforms. Flipkart’s eventual positioning will need to be equally compelling.

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