Top 10 Alternative Apps to Zepto and Blinkit

Living in a world with lightning-paced technology surrounding us, shopping apps have become our constant companion, meticulously meeting our needs from grocery shopping and saving us the time from standing in long queues, filling our carts with essentials piled up to the brim, and carrying heavy bags home. Zepto and Blinkit are two such favorite choices among people, and their user numbers are increasing with every passing day. Today, users seek Zepto alternatives that offer them a unique, user-friendly, unparalleled experience. 

Such apps, which quicken doorstep delivery and help buyers get their groceries at their doorstep, are known as quick-commerce apps. These apps became our saviors even at the last minute, helping us buy the items on our list in seconds.  Days before quick commerce, or q-commerce, were the peak of inconvenience for customers, especially when they had to run to the store before it closed for the day and found it difficult to revisit when they’d forgotten a few items from the list. 

 With Blinkit and Zepto ruling the online shopping experience of almost every user’s screens, we’ve forgotten about the other grocery delivery apps that have come to our rescue. This blog shares a list of the top 10 apps that are at the forefront of q-commerce and their unique benefits to users.

How Do Apps Like Blinkit Work? 

While there are soaring numbers of apps like Blinkit and Zepto that meet the quick and daily needs of users, their features and uniqueness seldom go unnoticed. Here are some of the key features of the best grocery delivery apps: 

Quick Delivery

As it can be deciphered from their name, quick commerce, or q-commerce, is designed to meet the quick user needs. These apps work in close connection with local fulfillment centers, such as small supermarkets or stores at a distance of 15-20 minutes, that store the same products as supermarkets at much lower prices. Also, these apps assign the order to delivery partners in 1-3 minutes, cutting the waiting time short. 

Micro-Fulfillments

Guilty as charged! The reason why we’ve switched to apps from physical shopping is that we find it lazy to shop if the list is of one or two items. Yet, these items could be essential and in demand for the moment. This is where on-demand delivery apps have a crucial role to play. They identify where the products in your lists are available at a cheaper rate, on which days, efficiently plan the routes, share orders immediately, and coordinate with the stores, ticking off every immediate user need. 

Ease of Use

One feature that makes q-commerce apps appealing is their ease of use. Checking across huge categories and adding the items to our cart is way simpler than walking across racks, and missing important items is stressful. This is why online shopping apps have been designed with sophisticated categories and lists of items, helping you complete your shopping list.

Simple Monitoring

Online shopping apps don’t keep you waiting once you order your list. It sends customer engagement notifications when your items will arrive and of delays, if any. It is a handy version of supermarkets you can carry in your pocket, saving on your time and fuel consumption. Similarly, you need not keep asking for the availability of an item. The app shows how much of each item is available and keeps you informed about the price changes so that you can shop at the lowest price. 

Rewards for Shopping

Remember the toffees and goodies you received when the shopkeeper had no change to give you? This is now resolved with cashless transactions enabled, also rewarding you for your choices and time. Almost every Q-commerce apps reward its users with grocery delivery cost optimization through redeemable reward points or cashbacks, helping the buyers feel they’re being valued and prioritized. They also provide referral rewards, which give every user a reward just by referring the app to a friend.

Best Alternatives for Zepto and Blinkit

While Zepto and Blinkit made door-to-door delivery, the idea was readily accepted and received instant appreciation from users. Following this, many similar providers entered the picture and were soon accepted to become people’s favorites. Here is the list of top alternatives for Zepto and Blinkit:

Purpose, features, and unique selling points

Swiggy Instamart

A byproduct of Swiggy, Swiggy Instamart set the perfect example of how a q-commerce app should be. It offers a wide variety of choices and categories of groceries, including everything that a user can think of. As you begin to type the item name, the app shows the item and similar choices, helping you add everything you need to the cart before checking out. Swiggy Instamart, being one of the best grocery mobile apps in India, received instant support from its users, opening early in the day from 6 am and closing as late as midnight. It also comprises products from well-recognized brands that are already in demand. Swiggy Instamart earned the customer trust very quickly, since it is a byproduct of the Swiggy food delivery app. 

Dunzo Daily

Another popular option for virtual shopping is Dunzo, which makes online grocery delivery services prompt and effective. Also, one of the biggest reasons why this app is becoming increasingly popular over the years is its neat UI and usability. Dunzo isn’t just for grocery delivery but also for local carrying of important documents or even helping you make virtual purchases by sending your replacements and completing shopping needs. This is one exclusive feature that makes the app a great choice for users.

Big Basket

As it can be decoded from its name, bigger needs always need Big Basket. It is a popular option among users as the platform is an initiative of Tata and a known last-mile delivery choice. The list of items available on this platform is beyond what we can imagine- groceries, essentials, electronics, snacks, and branded products. A standout feature of this platform is that it allows users to schedule their delivery as per their availability across 25 major cities within India. This platform accepts orders—early in the morning, during the day, and even late at night. 

Amazon Fresh

Much identified from its name, Amazon, the biggest e-commerce platform, also extends its services to q-commerce services. Being a reliable delivery platform, users adhere to it as no product ever becomes unavailable on Amazon Fresh. From consumables, perishable goods, electronics, and travel assistance products, it gives the customers the best products and services with zero damage, in 100% quality. Furthermore, this platform guarantees freshness, comes with delivery tracking features,  and gives the provision for buyers to return them if it isn’t. 

Fresh to Home

Fresh to Home exclusively operates with the supply chain of poultry and fish from farm to table in a time period of less than 30 minutes. Their reason for exclusivity is that the platform offers services at customized times and quantities to seek customer satisfaction and maintain it. This way, the app ensures that every meat or fish that arrives at the customer’s doorstep is fresh and good to use. This platform also assists with grocery app monetization, allowing you to pay with your preferred method, in cash or via cards. There are exclusive deals and offers on Fresh to Home that allow you to make bigger purchases at smaller rates on certain days.

DMart Ready

This app was wholeheartedly and widely accepted for its offline inventory services at minimal rates. DMart has also been recognized as one of the fastest-growing retail e-commerce platforms for household and grocery services with enhanced doorstep delivery. Unique enough from the others, the app provides information about the closest store near the customer where almost all the products are available, where they may go and collect the same. There are also daily deals, discounts, and coupon codes that the users can redeem or enjoy cashback from. 

FlipKart Minutes

Another familiar app like Zepto and Blinkit, Flipkart Minutes comes with e-commerce assistance in a huge range of products and is especially designed for meeting quick and urgent user needs through instant delivery services. The categories of products listed under this app are endless—groceries, fruits, vegetables, cosmetics, and even electronics are available on this app with plenty of options. The app also accepts both prepaid and postpaid orders and delivers them at a windspeed with no compromise on accuracy. Location flexibility is yet another advantage of this app, where you can change your delivery address and yet get the product delivered at the same time.

M-Now

M-Now may seem a bit unfamiliar as a name, but in simple terms, it is the e-commerce platform of Myntra. It is also known for its prompt delivery services with the finest packaging services through their professional staff, all operated through their app. This app, however, is more of a fashion app where you can access apparel and accessories just like you would visit a store. It also offers countless filters based on sizes, prices, brands, colors, and occasions (Mother’s Day collections, couple t-shirts, or Parents’ Day specials). This is the reason many users consider M-Now as their go-to shopping app. 

Slikk

If you’re looking for a fashion accessories brand where you can also get delivery in under 10 minutes, Slikk is just the app for you. This app targets the youngsters and keeps up with the fashion trends to meet and match them perfectly. It facilitates and delivers the order and delivery within days if you’re a Bangalore resident and in about 5-7 days if you’re a non-Bangalorean.  One of the unique features of the Slikk app is its ‘try and buy feature,’ wherein the delivery partner brings the item you wish to try and returns and replaces it within a short period of time until you find the right fit.

Amazon Prime Now

This is another great app for shopping, which is best for those who are already using Amazon. Apart from this, if you’ve been a premium member, you get swift grocery delivery in about 2 hours, all across India. If you’re looking for something in a premium brand with the best quality, Amazon Prime Now helps you find the same product at prices you’re willing to pay.

How to Build An App Like Blinkit or Zepto?

You could be the next growing Q-commerce company. Here’s how to build an app like Blinkit or Zepto:

Step 1: Do Market Research

While you aim to build one of those apps like Zepto, ask yourself who you’re building the app for. Is it for homemakers, students, or working professionals? Also, make a list of items you think would benefit the buyers and would help you enhance your reach and profits. Then, create your own market model—who will you develop your app for? Which are the best user-friendly grocery apps? Get a basic understanding of all these details before you build your app. 

Step 2: Define all Its Features

Decide and choose all the features that make your app simple, accessible, and user-friendly. This can be made by simple profile creations, check-in and check-out processes, and checking the real-time availability of products and services. The customers should have access to the full-fledged functionality, the delivery partners should have access to the location, order details, and distance, and the admins should be able to see the analytics dashboard and product and coupon management altogether. 

Step 3: Pick the Right Tech Stack

This is for every app developer in India. If you have chosen an IT consulting company in India, they should know the frameworks that build the base of your apps for frontend and backend, database, cloud services, payment gateways, and location services. Choosing a strong, flexible stack makes it easy to make changes and edits in the app every time you need it.

Step 4: Finalize the App UI

The outlook of the app decides its reach and popularity. Thus, it should be maintained as neat, accessible, comprehensive, and quick to respond. To start with, design a strong wireframe that defines all the important functionalities and responses. Then, create mockups of how each click, each dropdown, and each page would look. This can be made effective if your designers have access to and knowledge of the top UI tools. 

Step 5: Work on the Development

Use agile technology for grocery delivery app development, which helps in responding, replying, and reviewing messages on the app. In addition, develop an MVP with all the features, including backend services; integrate API services; test the app API from time to time; and then launch the app. 

Step 6: Thoroughly Test the App

For once, check for all the app functionality and make sure that they’re all in place. Then, check the app usability and compatibility on different devices and confirm that they are the same. Next, check how much load the app can manage. See to it that the customers also enjoy the best of schemes and offers on their devices. And finally, verify that the apps run well on all OS. 

Step 7: Launch the App

Now, it's time for the app to reach its target audience. But start with a pre-launch where you share a lighter version of the app on social media. Work on App Store Optimization (ASO). Give it enough exposure on social media and make it work by sharing or even talking about it in a press release (for further reach). Use paid ads to spot your first set of users. 

Step 8: Post-Launch Updates

Once the app is live, check for what is missing and what needs to be improved. According to your observations, work on the area of improvements and relaunch the app. Keep adding new features to your apps and improving minor areas, like adding voice recognition features, loyalty programs, and rewards to keep them engaged. 

Future trends of instant grocery delivery apps

The future of instant grocery delivery apps awaits us with changes much bigger, rewarding, and effective. Here are some of the anticipated trends:

Subscribed shopping

Subscribed shopping is where the technologies analyze the usage patterns of consumables on a regular basis and send them to customers proactively. This allows users to keep track of the essentials and keep them backed up to prevent and cover up for sudden shortages. For instance, many families often run out of eggs and milk first thing in the morning. To prevent this, the future apps would be empowered with subscriptions where the consumers would be charged a nominal amount and get their essentials regularly.

Sustainable packaging

While every sector has been promoting sustainable development, delivery apps have begun to practice it as an act towards saving the ecosystem. Though there are plenty of supermarkets and shops that have already begun to use recyclable packaging, the future seems even brighter. Buyers would be provided with several sustainable packaging options, such as recyclable, compostable, non-recyclable, and mono materials. This way, they can bring their bags and make their shopping experience even more cost-saving.

AR and VR

AR and VR have also begun to take over the grocery delivery apps and their operations. Be it analyzing the quality of groceries or finding the recipes to turn them into dishes, grocery delivery apps would now be equipped with such features. This way, the buyers needn’t watch over or scroll through many websites and videos to cook a meal with subtitles. Simply sharing the images of vegetables and ingredients, even while buying them, would help you with umpteen recipes to prepare. 

Automated Delivery Vehicles

Have you ever waited for delivery boys to get your order and then gotten frustrated with them moving in the wrong direction? Never again. The future foresees the growth and development of the best user-friendly grocery apps ever, with sophisticated features of live tracking and rerouting from the customer side, which ensures that your order reaches you even before you ask for an update. Even sooner, manual delivery would be replaced with robots and drones that would provide speedy delivery and efficient delivery than manual delivery. 

Voice-Oriented Shopping

The present shopping scenario is so maddening that you always feel like giving up the idea of visiting the supermarket every time. Instead, the future has promised us something better—voice-oriented shopping depending on the shopping list. This works by installing the respective supermarket apps on your phone and giving voice commands while sitting at home. And there you have your cart filled with items. The best part? You can always remove, replace, and add more items just minutes before they reach you. Fingers crossed! This is something that would change the concept of shopping as a whole. 

Wrapping Up

With quick commerce ruling the remote-monitored shopping carts, one of the most demanded services from an app development company, there’s no wait time, no stress of running across racks, and no delays in getting orders delivered to the doorstep. This solves even the smallest inconvenience of visiting nearby stores before they close, ensuring every item on the list gets ticked off in a single session. For businesses, it helps reduce server downtime, cut long queues, manage stock levels, and update them in real time. And as more brands evaluate the grocery app cost to enter this fast-growing space, q-commerce is expected to make one of the biggest moves toward winning the future.