Why quick commerce companies and offline smartphone retailers are at loggerheads

In 2024, Blinkit, a quick-commerce app, made headlines by announcing it would deliver the latest iPhone 16 series smartphones within a few minutes.

- Rakesh Kumar @New Delhi

The news quickly grabbed attention and received widespread praise on social media. The company began offering the iPhone 16 series to customers in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru. While many users lauded the move, it drew the ire of offline retailers. These retailers, who have been selling smartphones for years, raised concerns about the potential impact on their market.

According to reports, in recent months, several major smartphone brands—including Samsung, Motorola, Itel, Lava, POCO, and Xiaomi—have begun listing their products on Zepto, further eroding the market share of traditional retailers. Recently, Vivo also started selling its entry-level models, the Y18i and Y29, with an exclusive 5% ICICI Bank discount on purchases above ₹5,000.