Product Availability on Quick Commerce: What Bernstein's In-Stock Study Means for Brands
What the study measured
According to Entrackr, Bernstein tracked 150 products (SKUs) across grocery, fresh and non-grocery categories. It checked them over 10 days, at seven time slots a day, in at least three PIN codes each in Mumbai, Gurugram and Bengaluru.
The question was simple: when a shopper opens the app, is the product available to order?
The results
| Platform | Average in-stock rate | Fall during the day |
|---|---|---|
| Blinkit | 94.4% | 5% |
| Flipkart Minutes | 88.7% | 5% |
| Swiggy Instamart | 83.8% | 11% |
| Zepto | 82.5% | 6% |
- Blinkit held between 94% and 95% through the day.
- Instamart and Zepto dropped below 80% in some time slots.
- Instamart had the largest fall during the day (11%). The report linked this to challenges in forecasting and replenishment.
- Business models differ. Blinkit and Zepto mainly hold their own inventory, while Instamart works mainly as a marketplace.
Bernstein's view, as reported, is that availability is now a way for platforms to compete, alongside delivery speed and price.
Why this matters to brands
A platform-wide in-stock rate is an average. Your own products can do better or worse than it, city by city. When your product is out of stock in a dark store, shoppers in that area cannot order it, and that sale is lost. They may also buy a competing brand instead.
The study's finding that availability drops during the day is also useful. A product that is in stock in the morning can run out by the evening if stock is sent for average demand rather than peak demand.
How to protect your own availability
- Track in-stock rate by city and dark store, not just total sales. Most platform dashboards show stock and sales by city.
- Check at different times of day. Look at your listings in a few PIN codes in the morning and evening, as the study did.
- Plan stock by city. Use days of cover and lead time for each city. See our city-wise stock planning guide.
- Match ads to stock. Ads that drive shoppers to an out-of-stock product waste spend. See our quick commerce ads guide.
- Know each platform's model. Inventory-led and marketplace platforms buy and replenish stock differently. See quick commerce platforms compared.
- Check shelf-life and margin per city, so the cities you keep stocked also earn money. See quick commerce margins and fees.
Frequently asked questions
Which quick commerce app had the best product availability?+
In the Bernstein study reported by Entrackr in October 2026, Blinkit had the highest average in-stock rate at 94.4%, followed by Flipkart Minutes (88.7%), Swiggy Instamart (83.8%) and Zepto (82.5%).
How was availability measured?+
Bernstein tracked 150 products across grocery, fresh and non-grocery categories for 10 days, seven times a day, in at least three PIN codes each in Mumbai, Gurugram and Bengaluru.
Why did availability fall during the day?+
The study found in-stock rates fell during the day on all four platforms, by 5% to 11%. For Instamart, which fell the most, the report pointed to forecasting and replenishment challenges.
Does a platform's in-stock rate apply to my brand?+
Not directly. It is an average across the products studied. Track your own products' availability by city and time of day.
Sources
- Entrackr: Blinkit leads quick commerce in product availability, Flipkart Minutes ranks second: Bernstein — 8 Oct 2026; in-stock rates, method, intraday falls and business models
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