Flipkart to Enter Food Delivery Market in Coming Weeks
Flipkart is set to launch in India's online food delivery sector in the next few weeks, as the Walmart-owned e-commerce behemoth aims to compete against established rivals like Swiggy and Zomato in one of the nation's most competitive consumer internet markets.
Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy stated that the company will introduce its food delivery service on a small scale initially, then expand it according to customer responses.
The company announced that the service will be accessible through a standalone app as well as integration into the current Flipkart app.
Reports indicate that Flipkart plans to introduce the service by integrating with the government-supported Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), aimed at establishing an open and interoperable e-commerce environment.
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The decision comes after several months of speculation regarding Flipkart's intentions to expand into food delivery. Previous reports indicated that the company was considering both a separate platform and an ONDC-based buyer app as potential entry options.
Flipkart is entering a market currently led by Zomato and Swiggy in India's food delivery industry. Reports indicate that at the close of 2025, Zomato controlled approximately 57 percent of the market, whereas Swiggy comprised the remaining 43 percent. Nonetheless, rivalry in the industry has surged in recent months as new players explore different business models. Rapido, a ride-hailing platform, has recently introduced its food delivery service, while ONDC-based platforms are aiming to gain market share by providing lower commissions and attractive pricing for customers.
The food delivery venture represents an additional move in Flipkart’s growth beyond its primary e-commerce activities. Throughout the years, the business has grown into travel with Cleartrip, rapid commerce with Flipkart Minutes, digital payments through super.money, and value commerce through Shopsy.
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Krishnamurthy has stated that Flipkart identifies opportunities in sectors with low digital penetration and increasing consumer adoption.
Flipkart's arrival might revolutionize India's food delivery sector with another financially strong competitor in the industry.
Collaboration with ONDC may serve as a distinguishing factor for restaurants and consumers looking for alternatives to the conventional aggregator approach.
The company plans to initiate a pilot launch prior to extending to additional cities. Reports suggest that Bengaluru will be one of the initial markets to experience the service, yet Flipkart has not officially verified the launch locations.
Recently, the government permitted foreign-owned retail e-commerce companies to create their own inventories strictly for exporting goods made in India, which is expected to advantage US-based online retail giants such as Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) permitted foreign direct investment (FDI) in inventory-based retail e-commerce companies for the export of goods manufactured domestically.
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Currently, the government permits 100 percent FDI in marketplace-based e-commerce models but disallows FDI in inventory-based e-commerce models. The government has partially relaxed its current policy by permitting FDI in inventory-based e-commerce for exports only, while maintaining the prohibition on foreign-funded inventory-led e-commerce for the domestic market.
In the inventory-based model, an e-commerce business possesses the stock of products and sells them straight to customers. In contrast, in the marketplace model, the platform functions solely as an intermediary, linking independent sellers with buyers without possessing the inventory.
The policy also removes the differentiation between business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) ecommerce regarding exports, since foreign direct investment (FDI) has been allowed in e-commerce entities involved in B2B activities since 2000.