Amazon Now tops $1B in annualised sales, targets 100 Indian cities by Diwali

Amazon’s quick-commerce service says orders are doubling quarterly and it has reached about 10% order share. The business plans to expand to 100 cities by Diwali and operate 1,000 dark stores by year-end.

— Source publishedTue, 15 Sept, 2026, 07:44 IST·First seen Tue, 15 Sept, 2026, 10:19 IST·Source ET Retail

What happened

Amazon Now crossed $1 billion in gross annualised sales in India, driven by quarterly order doubling. The quick-commerce platform holds roughly 10% order share

Key facts

  • $1 billion gross annualised sales
  • Orders doubling every quarter
  • Top three player in Delhi and Bengaluru
  • Expansion to over 300 cities
  • 100 cities by Diwali
  • 1,000 dark stores by year-end
  • About 700,000 orders per day
  • About 10% market share by orders
  • About 14% market share by value
  • About 70% of Amazon customers from smaller cities

Why this matters

Amazon’s dark-store buildout makes partnerships or acquisitions involving hyperlocal logistics, regional grocery supply and last-mile technology more strategically valuable for retailers seeking defensible quick-commerce capabilities.

What to watch

  • Whether Amazon reaches 100 cities and approaches 1,000 dark stores by year-end without materially extending delivery times.
  • Quarterly order growth, average order value, repeat rates and stated order-share gains versus Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart.
  • Evidence of discount escalation: free-delivery thresholds, membership benefits, rider incentives and merchant-funded promotions.
  • Dark-store density and assortment breadth in major metros, especially Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune.
  • Prime adoption or retention initiatives linked explicitly to Amazon Now.
  • Competitor responses including new funding, IPO proceeds deployment, strategic partnerships, city exits or consolidation.
  • Signals on unit economics, contribution-margin targets, order batching and profitability in mature micro-markets.
  • Accelerate dark-store leasing and micro-fulfilment buildout in the top 20-30 cities before entering lower-density markets.
  • Use Prime-linked delivery benefits, targeted coupons and bundled grocery promotions to establish habitual weekly ordering.
  • Expand high-repeat categories such as fresh produce, dairy, staples, snacks, personal care and OTC wellness while building local assortment by city.
  • Deploy Amazon private labels and marketplace seller inventory to improve gross margins and assortment depth.
  • Increase rider, warehouse and merchant incentives during Diwali to protect service levels and win customers from incumbent platforms.
  • Potentially integrate Amazon Now more tightly with Amazon Fresh, Amazon Pay, Prime and advertising inventory to monetise beyond delivery fees.