Amazon trades user share for wallet share in India’s retail turf war

Amazon may be ceding digital real estate to nimble quick-commerce players, but it continues to pull ahead in monetising each shopper who walks through its virtual doors.

According to data compiled by retail market research firm Datum Intelligence, the e-commerce giant currently accounts for 20% of monthly active users in India yet commands 26% of overall gross merchandise value (GMV). By contrast, social commerce platform Meesho commands 26% of users but captures just 9% of GMV, while quick commerce as a whole draws 16% of monthly users to claim 11% of total GMV.

Even as Amazon’s user share has slipped by nine percentage points since calendar year 2022, the platform is converting its remaining shopper base into spend at a significantly steeper rate than its rivals.

"The difference is largely driven by order values," said Satish Meena, founder of Datum Intelligence, adding that quick commerce attracts consumers through smaller and more frequent purchases.

Indeed, instant-delivery platforms operate on an entirely different basket architecture. In Q4 FY26, Blinkit’s net average order value stood at ₹525, compared with ₹504 for Swiggy Instamart and ₹387 for Zepto.

Blinkit recorded 273.9 million orders from 27.2 million monthly transacting users during the quarter. That translates to roughly 3.4 orders and about ₹1,800 in monthly spend per user, pointing to a shopping pattern built around frequent, smaller baskets rather than large-ticket purchases.

For Amazon, this distinction matters as quick commerce moves beyond its traditional grocery and convenience proposition and begins to capture a greater share of everyday digital spending. The shift is particularly pronounced in metros, where around 80% of quick-commerce GMV comes from just eight cities.

Between CY22 and CY25, Amazon and Flipkart collectively lost nine percentage points of GMV share, as the rapid surge of rapid delivery dented traditional horizontal marketplaces in key revenue corridors.

Meanwhile, quick commerce managed to pocket six percentage points over the identical three-year period.

This has prompted the two traditional e-commerce giants, albeit late, to respond more directly to the quick-commerce model. "Both are now investing directly in the category, with Flipkart Minutes reaching around 1,000 micro-fulfilment centres across 130 cities and Amazon Now close to 800 centres across 60 cities," said Meena. 

Amazon’s existing strength lies in getting consumers to spend more per transaction, while quick commerce is building engagement through frequency and convenience. Now, the bigger question is whether Amazon can preserve that spending advantage as quick commerce expands its reach and increasingly competes for the same urban consumer wallet.