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Amazon has expanded Amazon Now, its quick-delivery service, to 100 cities across India, and it plans to expand its fulfilment network to over 1,000 micro-fulfilment centres. This growth will allow more than 16,000 farmers to deliver their produce directly to customers through the platform.

Customers in both metro and non-metro cities, including Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Meerut, Mysore, Panipat, Kochi, Amritsar, Mangalore, Visakhapatnam, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, and Bengaluru, can now access Amazon Now.

Micro-fulfilment versus dark stores: Micro-fulfilment centres are compact, technology-driven storage sites that operate within a larger logistics network. In contrast, dark stores are hyperlocal warehouses focused solely on rapid order fulfilment.

Quick commerce companies such as Blinkit (owned by Eternal) and Swiggy Instamart have achieved scale by developing dense networks of dark stores, resulting in a stronger hyperlocal presence than Amazon Now’s expanding micro-fulfilment model. By the end of Q3 FY26, Blinkit operated over 2,000 dark stores, having added 211 in a single quarter. Swiggy Instamart reported 1,136 dark stores after opening 34 new locations in the same period, demonstrating ongoing efforts to increase delivery density.

Amazon is not deviating from this model. Although it presents its network as micro-fulfilment infrastructure, Amazon Now is also developing dark-store-like nodes to meet the demand for ultra-fast delivery. The company is opening two centres per day, aiming for over 300 stores in key metropolitan areas, with hundreds already in operation.

This reflects a hybrid strategy. Amazon integrates micro-fulfilment centres into its broader supply chain to offer a wider assortment and support farmer integration, while also adopting the dense, hyperlocal infrastructure typical of dark store-led quick commerce. As competitors focus on scale and density, Amazon is aligning its operations to compete more effectively in the quick delivery segment.

Why this matters: The rapid growth of quick commerce is establishing the segment as a major revenue driver in India’s e-commerce market. Financial disclosures highlight this trend: Blinkit’s quick commerce business generated approximately Rs 12,256 crore in revenue in Q3 FY26, fuelled by increased orders and store expansion, making it a key contributor to its parent company’s results. Swiggy reported overall revenue of Rs 6,148 crore in the same quarter, with Instamart significantly contributing to growth, despite ongoing losses from high fulfilment costs.

The expansion of Blinkit and Instamart has attracted horizontal e-commerce players. In addition to Amazon Now, Flipkart has introduced Flipkart Minutes, indicating that established companies are moving quickly to capture market share in this segment.

Amazon Now serves both as a defensive and an offensive strategy, enabling it to compete with specialised quick-commerce platforms, increase purchase frequency, strengthen last-mile logistics, and expand its presence in high-repeat categories such as grocery. This approach is supported by a recent Rs 2,800 crore ($300 million) investment to expand Amazon’s operations network, scale quick commerce infrastructure, and improve delivery speeds in metros and smaller cities.

Concerns around dark patterns: The growth of quick commerce has led to increased scrutiny of “dark patterns”, or deceptive interface designs that prompt users to make unintended purchases or decisions. Amazon filed a self-declaration with India’s Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) later than several competitors. Despite this filing, a MediaNama review in April found that the Amazon app continued to display at least two types of dark patterns: false urgency, which pushes users to act quickly through time-bound or low-stock cues, and interface interference, where design elements steer users toward specific choices.

These findings are notable because Amazon’s declaration includes not only its core marketplace but also services like Amazon Now and Amazon Fresh, which operate in high-frequency, quick commerce environments. In these settings, where users make rapid purchasing decisions, design nudges can have a greater impact on consumer behaviour.

In quick commerce, where decisions are made within minutes, these design choices can increase impulsive buying and limit informed decision-making. As platforms compete on speed and conversion, regulators are pushing for stricter compliance through self-audits and enforcement actions.

Also read:

• Amazon starts hyperlocal grocery delivery with NOW Store
• Amazon Pantry expands to 27 cities in India
• Amazon India rebrands its grocery service, adds new delivery time slots