Zomato-owned Blinkit has introduced a 10-minute SIM card delivery service in collaboration with Bharti Airtel.

This service is now available in 16 cities across India. Key cities include Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.

Customers can select a new prepaid or postpaid connection, or switch their existing number to Airtel.

Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa said that the SIM activation process uses Aadhaar-based self-verification.

This innovation removes the need for store visits or paperwork.

🔗 Source: Inc42

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Quick commerce’s category expansion challenges traditional e-commerce giants

Blinkit’s SIM card delivery partnership with Airtel represents the natural evolution of quick commerce beyond groceries into higher-margin categories.

This expansion aligns with industry-wide diversification, as quick commerce players are expected to directly compete with e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart by 2025 1.

The strategy reflects Blinkit’s earlier moves into electronics through partnerships with Apple, HP, Lenovo, and others, aiming to improve unit economics beyond low-margin groceries.

Zomato’s substantial investments in Blinkit (INR 4,300 Cr to date) show confidence in this expansion strategy despite growing EBITDA losses, betting on improved profitability through diverse product categories.

Quick commerce is projected to grow from $104.1 billion globally in 2024 to $130.51 billion in 2025, indicating strong market validation for this business model expansion 2.

2️⃣ Dark store expansion reshapes India’s retail infrastructure

Blinkit’s ambitious plan to double its dark stores to 2,000 by December 2025 highlights the fierce competition for strategic retail locations in urban centers.

The quick commerce industry is driving significant demand for retail space, projected to increase from 24 million square feet in 2023 to 37.6 million square feet by 2027 3.

Recent Zomato developments