Swiggy Launches Experiential Store for Instamart in Gurugram

Swiggy has introduced an experiential store for its quick commerce segment, Instamart, in Gurugram. This move allows the company to pilot a limited offline format alongside its existing dark store delivery operations, as reported by various media outlets and knowledgeable sources.

The store, situated at M3M 65th Avenue, functions as an Instamart branded experiential outlet and operates independently from Swiggy’s dark store network. Consumers have the opportunity to explore a selection of products in the store, while still placing orders through the Instamart app. The outlet features a curated range of approximately 100 to 200 stock keeping units (SKUs), which is significantly narrower than the extensive catalogue typically found at Instamart’s dark stores.

Experiential Formats in Residential Areas

According to sources, these experiential formats are being established in residential societies by sellers associated with the Instamart platform. Rather than functioning as traditional retail outlets, these spaces serve as small experiential environments with a limited SKU selection. The primary focus is on categories where customers prefer to conduct a physical examination before making a purchase, including fresh fruits, vegetables, pulses, and newly launched products from various direct-to-consumer brands.

Emphasis on Fresh Categories

The initiative is anticipated to concentrate mainly on fresh product categories. Moreover, the transaction structure at these outlets deviates from Instamart’s conventional model. Sources indicate that payments made at the outlet go directly to the sellers, bypassing Swiggy’s typical collection and settlement process which includes commission deductions. Sellers are reported to be trialling this format under the support and branding of Instamart.

Instamart continues to deliver groceries and daily essentials swiftly through a network of dark stores spread across numerous cities, with the experiential outlet operating concurrently alongside this logistics infrastructure. As of now, Swiggy has not released any formal announcement regarding this initiative and has not specified plans for expanding this format to additional locations. Queries directed to Swiggy went unanswered prior to publication.