Amazon’s rapid-delivery business in India has passed $1 billion in annualised gross sales as the company prepares to expand Amazon Now to 100 cities by Diwali.
Amazon India country manager Samir Kumar said orders through the delivery-in-minutes service are doubling every quarter, making Amazon Now the fastest-growing e-commerce business unit in the company’s Indian operation.
The expansion will take the service beyond India’s largest metropolitan markets into a much broader network of cities. Amazon says its planned footprint will stretch from Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur in the north to Vembayam and Alamcode in the south.
The milestone is significant for grocery and FMCG suppliers because rapid commerce has become an increasingly important route to consumers in India. Faster delivery models can change pack-size decisions, promotional strategy and the mix of products held close to densely populated demand centres.
For retailers, the model also raises the competitive pressure around fulfilment speed. Quick-commerce operators have built networks around small urban fulfilment sites designed to keep high-frequency products close to shoppers, forcing larger e-commerce businesses to adapt their logistics networks.
Amazon’s scale gives it the ability to combine rapid delivery with a broader marketplace, payments infrastructure and established distribution capabilities. The next challenge will be maintaining product availability and delivery economics as the service moves into more cities.
The planned expansion to 100 cities by Diwali will provide a clearer indication of whether delivery-in-minutes can move from a predominantly metropolitan proposition into a broader national retail channel in India.
