Let’s be honest.

Where “urgent grocery” used to mean going to a local store or waiting at least a day or two for delivery, it’s totally different now.

As soon as you tap on your mobile device, your bread, milk, ice cream or Maggi will be delivered free within 10 minutes to your doorstep.

That’s right! Welcome to the war on ‘quick commerce’.

There are three companies all competing for your attention and your late night cravings – Zepto, Instamart & Blinkit.

But the bigger question is – Who is going to actually win?

The Game Isn’t About Groceries Anymore

On the surface, it would appear that all three companies are essentially doing the same thing:

-Quick delivery

-Similar products

-The same “10-minute” guarantee

But if we take a closer look we can see that they are each competing against each other for something that is even bigger than just groceries.

They are competing to establish a ‘habit’.

Once you have established a ‘habit’ with a particular company for your small, frequent needs, it is very unlikely you will ever switch to a different competitor.

My Personal Reality Check

On a random night, I realized this.

It was around 11:30 pm and all I wanted was some cold coffee.

I opened up one app, and then another, until I found: 

1) out of stock, 

2) delivery charges added, 

3) delivery in 9 minutes.

What did I choose? The cheapest option? No; the one with the most product options? No; the one that I considered to be the most convenient and quickest at that moment was what I chose.

That is the day that I realized this isn’t a price war; it’s a convenience war.

Let’s Break Down the Players

1. Blinkit — The Reliability King

Blinkit, which is backed by Zomato, has a very clear strategy:

“We will be there, every time.”

With their solid backend logistics, large inventory of products, and a higher reliability factor; they tend to be the ‘safest’ option even though they aren’t generally the cheapest.

Positioning: Reliability and ease.

2. Zepto — The Speed Obsession

When Zepto came into existence, they had one key concept behind them:

’10 minutes is 10 minutes’

Since then, they have put more emphasis on:

-Faster delivery,
-Expanding aggressively,
-Developing a brand that appeals to a younger demographic.

The new Brand is very quick, has a clean look, and has a little more of a “Gen Z” look and feel.

However, fast delivery often has some drawbacks:

-Stock issues,
-Limited range of products in some regions.

Positioning: Speed first disruptor.

3. Instamart — The Ecosystem Player

Instamart is not just a separate app but part of the overall Swiggy experience.

It’s an Integrated Solution of Food + Grocery + Convenience.

Benefits of this integration are:

-To have seamless integration with Swiggy,
-To use Food + Grocery together,
-To have Familiarity with the UI.

While it’s not the fastest option, it benefits from existing user behavior.

Positioning: Ecosystem Based Convenience.

So… Who Wins?

The simple answer?

All 3 are winning; just in different ways.

Long answer?

It really depends on what you want;

If you are looking for reliability → Blinkit wins,
If you are looking for speed → Zepto wins,
If you want something to offer ecosystem convenience → Instamart wins.

But there’s one big truth;

The app that becomes your default app is the true winner.

Because in the world of Quick Commerce; you don’t usually think about a comparison.

You just go directly to your regular app.

The Real Battle: Owning Your Reflex

Delivery isn’t the only big change.

It’s how we’re behaving.

These apps are teaching us to say things like:

“I want it right away.”

“I don’t want to leave my house.”

“A typical timeframe is 10 minutes.”

Once we have these thoughts about delivery, the brand that shows up on our home screens will win.

The Brand Jam Takeaway

This is not just about the start up industry.

It is a change in our consumption habits.

And really…

We are just beginning this transition.

When it comes to delivering groceries in less than 10 minutes, there will be more than just groceries delivered in 10 minutes in the future.

Everything will be delivered in 10 minutes.