E-commerce giant Flipkart announced on Friday that it has signed a partnership agreement with the Department of Posts to enhance last-mile parcel delivery services across India. The agreement was signed in New Delhi by Neeraj Kumar Jha, General Manager, Parcel Directorate, Department of Posts, and Harvinder Kapur, Director-Commercial, Flipkart India Private Limited in the presence of senior officials from both organisations. According to an official statement from the Ministry of Communications, the collaboration aims to utilize the delivery network of the Department of Posts along with Flipkart's strong presence in India's e-commerce sector to provide efficient, reliable, and customer-centric parcel delivery solutions. The agreement focuses on faster deliveries, improved operational coordination, and seamless technology integration for efficient parcel movement and delivery. As per the official statement, 'The Department of Posts (DoP), Ministry of Communications, and Flipkart India Private Limited have signed an agreement for last mile parcel delivery services. Under the agreement, the Department of Posts will provide last mile delivery services for Flipkart shipments across India.'
Under the partnership agreement, Flipkart will utilize India Post's extensive network of more than 1.6 lakh post offices for parcel delivery services across urban, semi-urban, and rural areas, including remote and underserved regions. The services will include delivery of prepaid and cash-on-delivery (COD) parcels, OTP-based delivery authentication, and real-time shipment tracking. Through this partnership, Flipkart will gain access to the Department of Posts' vast network of over 1.6 lakh post offices and an unmatched delivery presence across India. This collaboration is expected to further strengthen the logistics infrastructure supporting India's rapidly growing e-commerce sector, as reported by the official statement.
Earlier today, Walmart Inc President and CEO John Furner lauded Flipkart's 13-minute delivery service, calling it 'really impressive' during a Q1 FY2027 earnings call. Furner praised the rapid pace of innovation and delivery execution by Flipkart's Indian unit, in which Walmart owns a controlling stake. He highlighted that Flipkart now operates more than 800 micro-fulfilment centres used for fast delivery, something they call Flipkart Minutes, and are delivering items in less than 13 minutes on average. Walmart acquired a 77 per cent controlling stake in Flipkart in 2018, in a USD 16 billion deal, with its shareholding now standing at over 80 per cent.
According to media reports, Flipkart is rapidly expanding its Flipkart Minutes service amid growing competition in India's quick commerce space. The company aims to scale up to 1,200 dark stores in the near future. Launched in August 2024, Flipkart Minutes competes with several players including Eternal's Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Amazon Now, Zepto, Reliance Retail's JioMart, and BigBasket. Apart from quick commerce, Flipkart is reportedly looking to diversify into additional business segments such as a dedicated food delivery platform, with testing expected to begin in Bengaluru around June.
