- Read the Amazon blog here.
Amazon has expanded Amazon Now, its quick-delivery service, to 100 cities across India, and it plans to expand its fulfilment network to over 1,000 micro-fulfilment centres. This growth will allow more than 16,000 farmers to deliver their produce directly to customers through the platform.
Customers in both metro and non-metro cities, including Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Meerut, Mysore, Panipat, Kochi, Amritsar, Mangalore, Visakhapatnam, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, and Bengaluru, can now access Amazon Now.
Micro-fulfilment versus dark stores: Micro-fulfilment centres are compact, technology-driven storage sites that operate within a larger logistics network. In contrast, dark stores are hyperlocal warehouses focused solely on rapid order fulfilment.
Quick commerce companies such as Blinkit (owned by Eternal) and Swiggy Instamart have achieved scale by developing dense networks of dark stores, resulting in a stronger hyperlocal presence than Amazon Now’s expanding micro-fulfilment model. By the end of Q3 FY26, Blinkit operated over 2,000 dark stores, having added 211 in a single quarter. Swiggy Instamart reported 1,136 dark stores after opening 34 new locations in the same period, demonstrating ongoing efforts to increase delivery density.
Amazon is not deviating from this model. Although it presents its network as micro-fulfilment infrastructure, Amazon Now is also developing dark-store-like nodes to meet the demand for ultra-fast delivery. The company is opening two centres per day, aiming for over 300 stores in key metropolitan areas, with hundreds already in operation.
This reflects a hybrid strategy. Amazon integrates micro-fulfilment centres into its broader supply chain to offer a wider assortment and support farmer integration, while also adopting the dense, hyperlocal infrastructure typical of dark store-led quick commerce. As competitors focus on scale and density, Amazon is aligning its operations to compete more effectively in the quick delivery segment.
Why this matters: The rapid growth of quick commerce is establishing the segment as a major revenue driver in India’s e-commerce market. Financial disclosures highlight this trend: Blinkit’s quick commerce business generated approximately Rs 12,256 crore in revenue in Q3 FY26, fuelled by increased orders and store expansion, making it a key contributor to its parent company’s results. Swiggy reported overall revenue of Rs 6,148 crore in the same quarter, with Instamart significantly contributing to growth, despite ongoing losses from high fulfilment costs.
The expansion of Blinkit and Instamart has attracted horizontal e-commerce players. In addition to Amazon Now, Flipkart has introduced Flipkart Minutes, indicating that established companies are moving quickly to capture market share in this segment.
Amazon Now serves both as a defensive and an offensive strategy,…
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