As quick commerce continues to evolve in India, Swiggy Instamart, a popular 10-minute grocery delivery app, is making a move towards offline shopping. As per reports, the Bengaluru-based platform has launched its first-ever experiential store in Gurugram, signalling a new (or old) way for consumers to interact with products they usually order online.
What's Different About The New Instamart Store?
Unlike traditional retail outlets, this Instamart-branded space is designed as a mini experiential format rather than a full-fledged shop.
Spread across roughly 400 sq ft - about one-tenth the size of a typical dark store - the outlet offers a curated selection of 100-200 stock-keeping units (SKUs). On the other hand, Instamart's dark stores have 15,000-20,000 SKUs available.
According to reports, the Instamart stores will be set up in and around residential societies and run by sellers. The sale proceeds will go directly to sellers, unlike the regular model, where the money is paid to Swiggy, which is eventually transferred to sellers after deducting the company's share.
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Is This A Move Towards Offline Retail?
As per reports, the idea of the experiential store revolves around giving customers a chance to touch and feel products before buying, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, pulses, new product launches, and direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands.
The outlets are intended to serve as hubs for product discovery and customer interaction rather than functioning as independent retail channels. Sellers on the Instamart platform are looking to explore branding opportunities and enhance consumer engagement within Instamart's existing services and logistics ecosystem.
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For now, this Gurugram store is a pilot project, and Swiggy has not confirmed any expansion plans. As per reports, people familiar with the matter suggest this does not indicate a shift to an omnichannel retail strategy.
NDTV has reached out to Swiggy for further comments.