Flipkart Enters Food Delivery Race, Set to Challenge Zomato, Swiggy, and Rapido
BANGALORE — Walmart-backed e-commerce titan Flipkart is preparing to make its official foray into India’s high-stakes online food delivery industry. The move directly challenges the long-standing duopoly of Zomato and Swiggy, as well as emerging, low-commission competitors like Rapido’s Ownly platform.
Confirming the strategic expansion, Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy announced that the company will launch a food delivery pilot project within the coming weeks. This phased rollout will allow Flipkart to gather user feedback, test operational efficiency, and refine its unit economics before attempting a national rollout.
Strategic Rollout & Hybrid App Model
Mirroring the operational playbook Flipkart used for Flipkart Minutes—its quick-commerce arm that quickly expanded to over 1,000 micro-fulfillment centers—the food delivery initiative will begin as a localized pilot, expected to start in key metros like Bengaluru.
The service will operate through a hybrid model. Customers will be able to access the food ordering feature directly inside the primary Flipkart main app, while the company simultaneously tests a dedicated standalone food delivery application.
A pivotal element of Flipkart’s strategy involves leveraging the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). By integrating with ONDC, Flipkart aims to streamline restaurant onboarding and logistics, lowering operational friction and tapping into an established digital network of merchant partners across India.
"Food delivery is another customer use case within our broader e-commerce platform. We will begin with a pilot, learn from it, and decide how to scale across the rest of the country." — Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart Group
Intensifying Competition in India's Food Tech Sector
Flipkart's entry comes at a dynamic moment for India’s food tech sector, which industry estimates project will grow from approximately $9 billion in FY25 to $25 billion by FY30.
The competitive landscape has broadened significantly beyond traditional incumbents:
Zomato & Swiggy: Continue to dominate total market share while pushing ultra-fast food delivery sub-brands like Swiggy Bolt and Zomato’s Bistro.
Rapido (Ownly): Recently disrupted market economics by adopting a zero-commission model for restaurant partners, allowing offline-equivalent menu prices.
Swiggy (Toing): A dedicated, value-focused offering introduced to cater specifically to price-conscious consumers.
Value Proposition Over Price Wars
Rather than entering purely into a discounting price war, Krishnamurthy emphasized that Flipkart intends to compete through curated restaurant selections, service reliability, and superior customer experience.
Adding high-frequency categories like meal ordering is aimed at driving deeper engagement within Flipkart’s expanding consumer ecosystem, which already includes Myntra (fashion), Cleartrip (travel), super.money (fintech), and Flipkart Minutes (quick commerce).
If the initial trial succeeds, Flipkart’s deep capital reserves and existing logistics ecosystem could shake up India's food delivery dynamics, turning a long-standing duopoly into a multi-player battlefront.