Curtains on 10-min delivery Zepto Swiggy Flipkart follow Blinkit to drop branding

     New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) After Blinkit, leading quick commerce firms Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, and Flipkart Minutes have scrapped their '10-minute' delivery branding amid rising pressure from the government and labour rights groups on the welfare and safety of delivery personnel.
     The decision follows Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya's directive at a meeting last week, in which he called on quick commerce companies to focus on rider safety by ditching rigid 10-minute delivery promises.
     It is pertinent to mention that gig workers held a nationwide strike on New Year's Eve in 2025, drawing attention to workers' health, safety and income.
     Blinkit’s principal tagline has been revised from "10,000+ products delivered in 10 minutes" to "30,000+ products delivered at your doorstep".
     Zepto's tagline now says “Groceries in minutes”, while Swiggy Instamart shows “Groceries and More” on the Android and iOS app stores.
     Tata Group’s BigBasket continues to show “10 min grocery app”.
     The Gig Workers Association has applauded quick commerce platforms' decision to abandon the 10-minute delivery promise, noting that it acknowledges the hazardous strain such aggressive timelines impose on delivery personnel.
     In a statement, the Association explained that the 10-minute model compelled workers to hurry, endanger themselves on roads, and endure extended shifts amid relentless app-driven pressures from incentives, ratings, and order assignments.
     "... Workers are often paid the same amount for a multi-order delivery as for a single order. In one such case, a worker was paid only Rs 19.30 for delivering two orders together. This increases risk and workload without any additional compensation," it said.
     The Association stressed the urgent need for a permanent institutional framework enabling collective dialogue among workers, platforms, and government authorities.
     It emphasised that this setup would proactively address issues, safeguard worker safety and respect, and avert potential disputes from escalating.
     A recent Goldman Sachs report estimated the quick commerce total addressable market (TAM) in India's top 150 cities at USD 235 billion. It forecasts the quick commerce industry to grow at a 35-40 per cent CAGR (FY25-FY30) to reach USD 47 billion by FY30.
     It puts Blinkit as the market leader with about 40-45 per cent market share of India's quick commerce industry.
     At present, there are seven players operating in the Indian quick commerce market: Eternal’s Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, Jiomart, BigBasket, Amazon Now, and Flipkart Minutes.
     According to the report, India's quick commerce industry has 65-75 million monthly transacting users (MTUs).
     Blinkit surpassed Zepto in monthly active users (MAUs) in June 2025 and presently has 24 million monthly active users (MAUs) in December, according to the report.
     In November, the government notified four new labour codes, ushering in major reforms, including universal social security coverage for gig workers.
     The labour ministry has proposed a 90-day annual work threshold as the mandatory eligibility criteria for gig and platform workers to access social security under new draft rules on the Social Security Code 2020, published on December 31.
     According to estimates, there are over 12.7 million gig workers in India, with government think tank NITI Aayog saying this workforce is expected to rise to 23.5 million by 2029-30.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)