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Product cover image for Amazon’s Tez: Late-Mover Gamble in India’s Quick Commerce Space

Amazon’s Tez: Late-Mover Gamble in India’s Quick Commerce Space

Tulsi Jayakumar

Product #:W44762
Supplier:Ivey
Discipline:Economics & Public Policy, Strategy
Setting:India, 2024
Details:Case (PDF) • 13 pages • 2025-07-29

Subjects:

EconomicsStrategy

Industries:

Goods, trade, and consumer services

Geography:

IndiaAsia
Your Price:$9.71

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In December 2024, Amazon India entered the 15-minute delivery race with the launch of its pilot, initially tested internally with its own employees and discussed publicly under the development codename "Tez" (which means "fast" in Hindi). This also marked Amazon’s first global foray into quick commerce (Q-commerce). In February 2025, Amazon rolled out its Quick-commerce delivery service under the brand name, Amazon Now. The announcement came at a time when the Indian market was already saturated with established players like Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, Flipkart Quick, and BigBasket Now. With over 2,500 dark stores across major metros and strong consumer recall, these early movers had set high benchmarks for speed, scale, and convenience. As the last major entrant, Amazon faced the risk of a significant market-share penalty. Samir Kumar, Head of Amazon India, now needed to craft a differentiated, scalable strategy to help Tez compete and win in this fiercely contested space.

Learning Objectives

This case can be used in strategic management courses within undergraduate, master of business administration, and executive education programs focused on market entry strategy, digital disruption, or late-mover advantages. It introduces students to key concepts such as gateways to entry and late-mover entry strategies. It can also be used in a managerial economics course, where it can be used to extend discussions pertaining to oligopolistic markets and the challenges of operating in oligopolistic markets. After working through the case and the assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:
  • Assess the penalties and challenges associated with late entry.
  • Analyze late entry strategies in an oligopolistic market, especially with reference to gateways to entry.
  • Understand how regulatory, infrastructural, and consumer behaviour differences in emerging markets affect strategic choices for global tech firms.
  • Develop strategic options for differentiating a new entrant in a strategic market.
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Case Study: Amazon’s Tez: Late-Mover Gamble in India’s Quick Commerce Space (English version) | Ivey Publishing