How online delivery apps are changing Bengaluru’s retail scene and shopping preferences

Apps like Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, Bigbasket, Flipkart Minutes and Amazon Fresh have redefined convenience, bringing everything from fresh vegetables to mobile phones to customers’ doorsteps in minutes. With their promise of speed, variety, and ease, these platforms are reshaping traditional retail, posing challenges to local kirana stores while catering to a fast-paced urban lifestyle.  

For 22-year-old Rachana R., walking from her home to the neighbourhood store a few roads away to buy groceries or vegetables has always seemed like an effort. So Rachana and many like her have embraced the idea of online shopping wholeheartedly. For a large section of Bengalureans, running to the grocery store to buy essentials or taking leisurely strolls through the market over the weekend is a thing of the past.

Bengaluru’s shopping habits have undergone rapid transformation, driven by the rise of instant delivery services and e-commerce giants. The number of items that get home delivered within minutes continues to increase, with clothes, makeup, luxury items and gadgets getting added to the list.

Apps like Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, Bigbasket, Flipkart Minutes and Amazon Fresh have redefined convenience, bringing everything from fresh vegetables to mobile phones to customers’ doorsteps in minutes. With their promise of speed, variety, and ease, these platforms are reshaping traditional retail, posing challenges to local kirana stores while catering to a fast-paced urban lifestyle.  

“When you shop online, you do not have to go to different stores. Everything is under the same platform. And the best part for a working woman or anyone who is juggling things is that it eases your chores. For example, when you must cook, most vegetables, fruits and greens available on these platforms are already cut, all you have to do is toss them in a pan,” says 28-year-old Arpita Rajpurohit who works in a radio channel.

Another big plus, she says, is that most of the items available on the apps are also often cheaper than that of a supermarket or provision store. “So, life is just easier with these apps,” she adds.  

Shradha Joshi, an IT employee in her early 20s, says that every day she has early work meetings online or at the office, so combining that with shopping is next to impossible. “Later in the day, work keeps me busy till late evenings, sometimes till 9 or 10 p.m. But when I do have time, I do not really feel like stepping out to buy anything. I just want to rest because of the hectic schedule throughout the week. So, I am highly dependent on these online platforms now.” 

Similar is the explanation of Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar, a 27-year-old news producer who says finding time to go out and buy essentials in between a hectic schedule is tough. “My day starts at 4.45 a.m., and ends around 11.30 p.m., or past midnight. These apps, even if they charge a little extra for delivery, save my energy and cost of fuel. The time these apps take for delivery is almost the same as going out myself, sometimes even less. It just makes life easier,” she argues.