Swiggy, Zepto remove ‘10-Minute Delivery’ promise after government nudge: What it means for customers

Swiggy and Zepto have removed 10-minute delivery claims after government intervention, signaling a shift in quick commerce messaging while delivery speeds remain fast and customer experience largely unchanged nationwide rollout.

Zepto and Swiggy quietly scrap “10-minute delivery” tags after ministerial pushback. Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya recently met CEOs of quick-commerce businesses Swiggy, Zepto, Blinkit, and Zomato over concerns gig workers were being exploited to meet aggressive delivery times-today, both Swiggy and Zepto have removed specific mentions of “10-minute delivery” commitments from their apps.

Labour experts claim this will have little to no impact on delivery times for consumers – however, it does indicate where the government wants brands to position themselves moving forward.

Why did Swiggy and Zepto drop “10-minute delivery” from their apps?

Orders fulfilled by quick commerce startups Swiggy Supermarket and Zepto are still guaranteed to arrive within 10 minutes-but the brands are no longer advertising “clock-time” commitments on their apps.

Customers are seeing changes to their apps after Mandaviya’s meeting with Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety, Zepto CEO Kartik Tyagi, and others last week. Government officials reportedly brought up concerns that stringent timelines put riders at risk of having to hurry, endangering their lives.

“The concept of speed has never been time-bound for us. It’s been about store density and technology-led efficiencies,” Swiggy said in a statement. “The instructions from the Minister were only related to our brand communication and not the service we provide.”

What does this mean for quick commerce consumers?

Customers can likely expect speedy deliveries as usual, although the strict “delivery within X minutes” advertising has stopped.

Here’s what’s new for consumers:

• There will no longer be a ticking clock on orders.
  
• Expect deliveries will continue to be quick in areas where platforms have dark stores.
  
• No announcements have been made about prices increasing or items being limited.
• Industry executives noted the change is only in brand language.

Platforms have likely just found a happy medium between what the government wants and maintaining consumer (and investor) trust.

Indian markets reacted positively.

Shares of Swiggy’s parent slid up to 3% in early trade today, while shares of Blinkit’s parent company Eternal Inc. rose as much as 2% – Investors seem to think ultra-fast deliveries can still exist without specifying “time points.”

Experts view the timeline removal as the government sending a message to quick-commerce brands.

“This is a huge shift in narrative for gig worker safety in India. The government wants brands to lead with values that suggest speed is paramount without making riders feel like live-organisms are at stake,” one industry expert told TOI.