10-minute delivery backlash forces a rethink: execution over speed
Founder Satish Meena said that although existing users are expected to stay engaged, the lack of a clear promise of speed can make it difficult to attract first-time users, for whom this type of messaging has served as a strong hook in the past. market research company Datum Intelligence.
“In the short term, new customer additions may slow because food delivery as a category is already seeing slower growth in transactional users, and what we’re largely seeing now is a shift rather than actual increased customers. If delivery times extend to 15-20 minutes, the gap over regular food delivery narrows further,” Meena said.
Best food delivery companies—Swiggy Ltd. (Bolt, Snacc) and Eternal Ltd (Blinkit’s Bistro) — each offering special services that promise 10-minute delivery of a limited, high-demand selection of snacks and drinks from premium nearby restaurants.
But after January 13, they removed the 10-minute delivery offer from their marketing materials, including app descriptions. MOMENT report Union labor minister Mansukh Mandaviya said he had urged major local platforms to move away from aggressive timelines, citing concerns over driver safety and working conditions.
This effect is also seen in advertising performance. According to Siddharth Jhawar, country manager at ad tech firm Moloco, targeted branding such as “10-minute delivery” often has strong appeal and helps ad creators perform better. “Removing ’10 minutes’ from messages will definitely have a small, short-term impact. This may reduce the click-through rate of the ad.”
Click-through rate measures how many viewers engage with an ad, and a decline usually indicates waning consumer interest or a lower likelihood of trying it for the first time.
While removing the 10-minute commitment is unlikely to materially reduce demand, it raises the bar for consistency at a time when adding new customers is critical to scaling the business.
Swiggy’s food delivery business increased its average monthly transaction users in the September quarter to nearly 900,000, compared to 16.3 million in the previous quarter. Eternal’s food delivery arm added 1.2 million users compared to 22.9 million in the same period inside previous three months.
While Eternal declined to comment, Swiggy did not respond to Mint’s emailed queries.
Execution in focus
Sandeep Abhange, research analyst at LKP Securities, said companies will now have to rely more on the app to sustain growth and attract new users over time by consistently providing fast deliveries and better product assortment rather than headline claims.
“Trust and consistency will now be more important than a numerical delivery timer. A small change in the delivery promise will not meaningfully change perceived convenience, especially if delivery reliability and food quality remain intact,” he said.
Additionally, market size needs to catch up in the long run, Moloco’s Jhawar said.
Swiggy started testing ultra-fast food delivery with the launch of Bolt in October 2024, followed by the launch of Snacc in January 2025, which attempts to address fast, impulse-driven food orders that sit between restaurant delivery and express commerce. The services focus on a narrow menu of snacks, beverages and convenience items from nearby partners, aiming to increase order frequency and seize short consumption opportunities.
Competitor Eternal took a similar step by adding Bistro to Blinkit in January 2025, expanding its dark store network into ready-to-eat foods. Both moves were driven by rising consumer demand for speed and the increasing overlap between food delivery and express commerce.
Bolt appeared FastRohit Kapoor, CEO of Swiggy Food Marketplace, said the service contributes more than 10% to Swiggy’s total food delivery orders and the share is expected to increase further as availability increases. Mint In an interview in November 2025.
While Eternal didn’t disclose details about Bistro, it said in its December quarter investor presentation that the feature was starting to show early signs of product-market fit. “We are reflecting early signs of product-market fit in healthy production per outlet and early signs of a possible path to profitability,” Akshant Goyal, Eternal’s chief financial officer (CFO), said in his letter to shareholders. he said.
Regardless, companies are already trying to improve the app. According to Meena, platforms are increasingly using order data to identify kitchen shortages as well as products that consumers want quickly but are not available nearby, and are addressing supply constraints through cloud kitchens and additional fulfillment points.
Eternal’s food delivery business saw net order value (NOV) rise 16.6% year-on-year in the December quarter, helped by a reduction in the minimum order value for free delivery on Gold orders, which increased order frequency from more budget-conscious customers. While Swiggy is yet to announce its third quarter numbers, gross order value growth in its food delivery business remained in the range of 18-20% in the September quarter.
“Online food delivery continues to deliver steady growth and has been one of the most resilient consumption segments. We are constantly innovating to ensure that we deliver segmented offerings that feel customized in response to all consumers’ expectations, specific need situations,” Swiggy said in its September quarter investor presentation.
