"Place an order...don't blink..enjoy!"-- that's how fast the buzzy 10-minute grocery app Zepto promises to deliver items to you via its newest offering called 'Cafe' if you live in Mumbai. Zepto claims it has already championed the 10-minute grocery delivery concept. Despite facing intense criticism over the instant delivery concept, this new concept has resonated well with industry leaders like Swiggy, Zomato and others, and they are rethinking their strategy of delivering grocery and other services.

The buzz around 10-minute delivery service is so strong that almost all top food delivery startups have come up with their version of quick commerce. Zomato officially entered the 10-minute delivery space last month. Blinkit, earlier named Grofers, also promises to deliver groceries in 10 minutes.

Swiggy has launched Instamart, while BigBasket has come up with BB Now. Bhavish Aggarwal-led Ola also launched its Qcommerce platform called Ola Dash. Amid this rush towards instant service, what's the concept behind quick commerce, how does it differ from the original idea of delivering services and what are the concerns around this idea?

Here’s an explainer.

What’s the 10-minute online delivery concept

Zepto's quick commerce model works on the Cafe format, where you can buy ready-to-eat items such as tea, coffee, biscuits and sandwiches, and other packaged snacks and drinks. But, it does not claim to deliver food items in 10 minutes. The company's core idea is the delivery of groceries in 10-minutes. The idea has caught the attention of bigger rivals like Zomato and Swiggy. Going a step ahead, Zomato has claimed it'll offer delivery of food items like biryani, momos, instant noodles, bread omelette, etc, in 10 minutes.

Blinkit was among the first ones to start the 10-minute grocery delivery trend, soon others also followed the line. Now Swiggy's Instamart service, active in Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune and Chennai, delivers essentials in 15-30 minutes. Similarly, Tata Digital-owned BigBasket launched BB Now to deliver instant groceries in 10-20 minutes. It promises to pay 5% cashback -- with some terms and conditions -- in case of failure in delivering services in time.

India's quick commerce market also caught Bhavish Aggarwal’s attention and his company came up with Ola Dash, earlier known as Ola Store. It offers delivery of a wide array of products, including a selection of fresh produce, snacks, beverages, instant food, home care products and cooking essentials.

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