Blinkit to shift to inventory-led model from Sept 1 as parent gains Indian ownership: Report

The Gurugram-based quick commerce firm has notified sellers that, starting September 1, it will begin purchasing inventory directly from them, rather than simply storing it on their behalf.

In an email sent on Saturday, Blinkit informed sellers about the upcoming transition.

From September, the platform will no longer function as a marketplace where sellers list products and pay for warehousing.

Instead, Blinkit will directly procure products from sellers and brands, taking control of the inventory.

Blinkit currently operates under two systems: a marketplace model where sellers list items and pay for storage, and another, reserved for high-frequency brands, where select sellers supply bulk products to be sold through the platform.

The new model will consolidate these, with Blinkit handling all inventory and listing products itself.

During Eternal’s January–March earnings call, CFO Akshant Goyal stated that if Blinkit had owned all its inventory in FY25, its working capital deployment would have been under ₹1,000 crore — accounting for just 15 days of working capital and around 3–4% of Blinkit’s gross order value of ₹28,274 crore.

“The last date to opt into the new system (is July 30). No new listings or inventory will be allowed after this date for non-accepted sellers,” Blinkit stated in its message. “(From August 31) Your inventory moves from your books to BCPL (Blinkit),” it added.

A founder of one of the partner brands told ET that this shift is likely to streamline processes.

“Right now, whoever operates on the marketplace model has to add the Blinkit warehouses on their goods and services tax (GST) and FSSAI registrations (for food and beverage brands)... once Blinkit starts taking inventory through purchase orders, that hassle will go away since it will be treated like a sale and not a stock transfer,” he explained.

Sellers not opting into the new model will have their inventory returned, with reverse logistics costs deducted, the email noted.

Moneycontrol was the first to report the development.

Eternal’s move to IOCC status — after 51% of its shares became locally owned — is seen as a key step in gaining tighter control over inventory and improving margins, especially amid rising losses in the quick commerce sector.

Blinkit’s competitor, Zepto, is also attempting to increase domestic shareholding.

India’s FDI norms prohibit foreign-funded online marketplaces from owning inventory or influencing seller operations.

As a result, platforms in this space typically avoid directly owning their “dark stores” — micro-warehouses used to enable 10-minute deliveries — and instead rely on independent operators.