Amazon India expands Amazon Fresh to over 130 cities as competition rises

Ecommerce major Amazon India, which battles with Walmart-owned Flipkart, recently announced the expansion of its grocery business, Amazon Fresh, to over 130 cities, including Ambala, Aurangabad, Hoshiarpur, Dharwad, Una, and Suri. 

Prior to this expansion, Amazon Fresh was available in more than 60 cities across the country.

The service, launched in 2021, offers a wide range of products, including wet and dry groceries, such as fruits and vegetables sourced from over 11,000 farmers, chilled products, beauty items, baby care, personal care, and pet products.

How is Amazon Fresh competing in the market?

Needless to say, the Indian grocery sector is becoming much more competitive, as many platforms like Flipkart, Reliance's JioMart, and BigBasket are ramping up their focus on it.

Similarly, Amazon Fresh is also rapidly expanding amid increasing competition in the grocery sector. New-age quick commerce platforms, which claim to deliver within 10 minutes, such as Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, and Zomato-owned Blinkit, are also giving intense competition to retailers backed by substantial venture capital funding.

However, as of now, Amazon has no intention of jumping into the quick commerce segment but aims to stay competitive by offering slotted same-day deliveries within four hours and, in select regions, two-hour deliveries.

"Amazon Fresh’s value proposition is not just speed but also an extensive range of daily consumption products, incredible savings for consumers, and superior quality of fruits and vegetables, delivered to customers in 2-4 hour slots. Regardless, Amazon is continuously improving the speed at which we deliver orders to customers," Harsh Goyal, Director and Head - Fresh and Everyday Essentials, Amazon India, said earlier.

Additionally, BigBasket also provides sub-two-hour deliveries in 45 cities and plans to extend this service further.

Offering delivery slots in major cities

Amazon Fresh offers delivery slots from 7 AM to 10 AM and 7 PM to 10 PM in major cities, with same-day deliveries already started in 20 cities for various products.

The service includes features like a dedicated app-in-app on Amazon.in, personalized widgets, buy-again options, and reminders to ensure frequently shopped items are not forgotten.

It also allows customers to benefit from cashback, offers, and bank discounts. Additionally, Amazon Fresh has introduced thematic stores and events like the mango store, summer store, and IPL store.

“Our expansion and focus on quality products demonstrate our commitment to serve customers and offer them the best online shopping experience for fresh produce and daily essentials," said Srikant Sree Ram, Director of Amazon Fresh India.