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Walmart-owned Flipkart is preparing a Flipkart food delivery launch in the coming weeks, with a pilot expected to begin within 30 days in India. Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy confirmed the move, positioning the ecommerce major against incumbents Swiggy and Eternal-owned Zomato in one of the country’s most competitive consumer internet segments.
Flipkart Food Delivery Launch: What The Company Confirmed
Krishnamurthy said the company will roll out the service first as a limited pilot, gather customer feedback, and only then decide how to scale nationally.
“Food delivery is another customer use case within our broader ecommerce platform. We will begin with a pilot, learn from it, and decide how to scale across the rest of the country,” he said.
The service is expected to be available both as a standalone app and inside the main Flipkart app. The company has not yet disclosed the launch city, branding, or operating model, though a metro-city pilot is understood to be under consideration.
Background: Flipkart Minutes And The Quick Commerce Push
The planned entry comes less than a year after Flipkart entered quick commerce with Flipkart Minutes, underlining a strategy built around high-frequency, everyday services that lift customer engagement.
Flipkart Minutes has scaled quickly, crossing 1,000 dark stores across more than 130 cities as it competes with Blinkit, Instamart, Zepto, BigBasket and Amazon’s rapid-delivery offering. Earlier company disclosures had put the network at over 800 dark stores, indicating rapid recent expansion.
The company was also reported to be weighing whether to build a standalone food platform or launch a buyer-side application on the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), while building a dedicated team for the vertical.
Latest Updates On Flipkart’s Food Delivery Pilot Plans
Krishnamurthy rejected the idea that the food delivery market in India is already mature and closed to new entrants.
“There is no such thing as waiting too long. It’s a combination of having the right value proposition and a good execution plan. If they execute well, if they have a solid team, if they are focused, they can easily win,” he said.
He added that quick commerce is “just a category” for Flipkart rather than a standalone business, and one the company is not spending disproportionate time on. He also suggested the market may not be deep enough to sustain six or seven players over the long term, signalling likely consolidation, while ruling out mergers and acquisitions as a growth route.
Industry Impact As India’s Food Delivery Market Heats Up
Flipkart’s arrival intensifies a fast-growing but crowded field. The food delivery market in India was estimated at around $9 billion in FY25 and is projected to reach roughly $25 billion by FY30, driven by improving affordability, faster deliveries and rising adoption, according to brokerage estimates.
The segment is led by Zomato and Swiggy, with newer challengers including Rapido’s Ownly and ONDC-based platforms trying to gain share. It has also seen a wave of 10-minute food formats such as Swiggy Bolt, Blinkit’s Bistro and Zepto Cafe, raising the bar on speed and unit economics for any new entrant.
Flipkart IPO Timeline And Walmart’s Profitability Push
Krishnamurthy ruled out an immediate public listing, saying there is no fixed Flipkart IPO timeline and that any listing would depend on readiness rather than a set schedule.
The plans have shifted repeatedly. Flipkart was earlier expected to list by late 2025 or early 2026 and had reportedly explored a $2 billion to $2.5 billion pre-IPO round to set a valuation benchmark. In March 2026 it completed a long-awaited reverse flip, shifting its holding company from Singapore to India and removing a key hurdle for a domestic listing.
Those plans were paused after Walmart, which owns close to an 80% stake, asked Flipkart to prioritise profitability. The retailer wants the company to reach EBITDA breakeven by the end of FY27 before pursuing a listing or fresh external fundraise.
What Flipkart’s Food Delivery Entry Means For The Market
For consumers, a well-funded new player could mean sharper pricing, wider choice and faster delivery as rivals defend share. For the wider market, Flipkart’s entry signals that everyday commerce, ordering food, groceries and essentials on demand, is now the main battleground for engagement rather than a side bet.
For Flipkart itself, food delivery deepens an ecosystem that already spans ecommerce, quick commerce, travel and financial services, keeping customers active on its platforms more often. The move suggests that even with its IPO deferred, the company intends to keep investing in adjacent, high-frequency categories to strengthen its long-term commerce position.
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