The Union Labour Ministry has asked quick commerce companies to move away from aggressive time-based advertisements and branding which promises delivery in “10 minutes or less”.
A senior official from the Ministry of Labour and Employment told FE that the issue of delivery companies branding their services as “10 minutes or less” has been an ongoing concern for the last year.
“Quick commerce companies have argued that the onus on completing a delivery does not fall on the gig workers rather on the logistics and planning of the companies, but the government is of the view aggressive branding is also playing a major role, which is why companies have been asked to stop advertising the same,” the official said.
Mansukh Mandaviya holds meetings with Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy
Following a series of sustained interventions, Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held meetings with leading platforms including Blinkit, Zepto, Zomato and Swiggy to address concerns related to delivery timelines and their impact on gig worker safety.
Another government official told FE that companies are not expected to make any operational changes for now but their branding messaging will have to be altered to reflect reality. Platforms are expected to remove time-based promises from their branding and advertisements, but the estimated time of delivery displayed on apps, which varies by location and product category, will continue to be shown, even if under 10 minutes.
“The government wants to ensure the messaging and claims are both in line and that no firm is misleading customers, while also ensuring the safety of gig workers,” the official added.
As a result of the developments, Blinkit updated its principal tagline from “10,000+ products delivered in 10 minutes” to “30,000+ products delivered at your doorstep.” Flipkart Minutes, which earlier displayed “10 minutes” on its tab header for the service inside the app, now just shows “Minutes”.
What about other platforms?
Other platforms including Amazon Now and Zepto are expected to make changes to its in-app and social media messaging, industry insiders said. However, platforms are expected to take a longer time transition offline materials such as delivery bags and uniforms/jackets carrying time-based promises, they added.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), which is part of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, had last year asked quick commerce companies to prove that they are delivering in “10 minutes or less” as claimed in their advertisements. The CCPA had sought data from players like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and BigBasket showing whether their median delivery times matched their claims.
Analysts tracking the sector said the move is unlikely to materially impact business operations. “The removal of the 10-minute delivery catchline is largely optics-driven rather than business-altering. The proposition of quick commerce continues to be anchored in speed, convenience, and proximity-led fulfillment,” said Karan Taurani, analyst at Elara Capital. He noted that with metro recall already entrenched, he does not expect any material impact on volumes, growth trajectory, or channel intent.
Satish Meena, founder of Datum Intelligence, said on-ground impact is expected to be limited. “The expectation of quick delivery will remain as long as the estimated time of delivery continues to show timelines under 10 minutes on the app. Delivery workers too, despite not being shown a timer for delivery, have felt that there are internal mechanisms within the algorithm that prefer workers that complete tasks in a shorter span of time. Those are harder problems to address,” he said.
The Telangana Gig and Platform Workers’ Union (TGPWU) and the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT), which had organised nationwide strikes on December 25 and 31 demanding better pay and working conditions, welcomed the Ministry’s intervention. “This is a significant and much-needed step in protecting the lives and dignity of gig and platform workers. The 10-minute delivery model forced delivery partners into dangerous road behaviour, extreme stress, and unsafe working conditions,” said Shaik Salauddin, Founder President of TGPWU and National General Secretary of IFAT.
However, Salauddin cautioned that branding changes alone may not resolve deeper issues. “Branding is expected to lower customer expectations and therefore pressure on the delivery partner. However, the real fear is that algorithms will continue to prefer assigning orders to riders that complete tasks in a shorter span of time. As long as incentives and internal algorithms are aligned to reward speed, the problems of the gig worker will continue,” he told FE.
“This is a good decision by the government to nudge quick commerce platforms to do away with the 10-minute delivery timeline. It will reduce unnecessary pressure on the riders and dark store workers while also having a positive impact on road safety,” said Sachin Taparia, Founder of LocalCircles. “The quick commerce platforms must now also make an effort to remove the bait and switch dark pattern that many use to show a short delivery time to the consumer and manipulate it later.”