Quick commerce apps such as Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart onboard brands directly, and their checks are mostly about the brand: GST, PAN, trademark or brand authorisation, FSSAI where food is involved, and barcodes. The laws behind them are the same as on any marketplace, with two that bite harder in quick commerce: FSSAI’s 30 percent or 45-day shelf-life rule and licensed dark stores. Non-food lines such as kettles, trimmers, chargers and steel bottles still need BIS certification, and BIS has started looking at quick commerce too.
What each app asks for
| Blinkit | Zepto | Swiggy Instamart | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who onboards | Sellers and brands, through Seller Hub | Brands, through Zepto’s brand portal | Brands, through Swiggy’s brand onboarding form |
| Tax and bank | GST certificate, bank details | PAN card, GSTIN certificate, cancelled cheque | GST and PAN details |
| Brand | Brand name, manufacturer details and logo; trademark and authorisations for multiple brands | Original trademark certificate, or authorisation letter or NOC on the brand owner’s letterhead | Not stated publicly |
| Food | FSSAI licence where applicable | Brand FSSAI or other licences, where applicable, in its brand terms | Not stated publicly |
| Products | Valid UPC or barcode, or an approved exception code | Brand tag details and accurate product sizing | Not stated publicly |
| Other | Digital signature | Onboarding about 15 business days if the brand meets Zepto’s selection criteria, up to 45 during big sales | — |
Sources: Blinkit’s seller FAQ, Zepto’s brand page and Swiggy’s Instamart partner page, as published in November 2026. Each app’s detailed category rules sit inside its seller portal, so check them there.
Blinkit’s brand page states that it has no official partners for listing products and works with brands directly. Consultants like us cannot get you listed. What we do is get the compliance behind the listing in place.
Food on quick commerce: FSSAI’s rules
FSSAI regulates e-commerce food businesses through a 2022 direction that put into effect the e-commerce provisions of its licensing regulations:
- Licences. E-commerce food businesses need a Central licence. Each brand or seller on the platform needs its own licence or registration and must display it.
- Shelf life. Food delivered to the consumer must have a remaining shelf life of 30 percent or 45 days before expiry at the time of delivery.
- Label images. A clear image of the principal display panel of pre-packed food must be shown to customers, except batch number, best before, expiry, manufacture date and MRP.
FSSAI repeated these points in a December 2024 advisory, which also says no e-commerce food business shall list a seller without displaying its valid FSSAI licence or registration. After meeting e-commerce platforms in July 2025, FSSAI said platforms should show the FSSAI number on receipts and invoices, disclose all warehouses on FoSCoS, make sure every warehouse is licensed or registered, and train food handlers under FoSTaC.
For brands, two points follow:
- The shelf-life rule decides how you ship. Stock sitting in a dark store keeps ageing, so plan dispatch dates so that products still have 30 percent or 45 days of shelf life left when the customer receives them, and agree with the platform how it applies the rule to short shelf-life lines.
- Your licence must fit your role. A brand that has products made by a contract manufacturer still needs its own FSSAI number on the pack under the labelling regulations. See our FSSAI licence guide and FSSAI number check.
Non-food products: BIS still applies
Quick commerce has moved well beyond groceries. Many of its fastest-selling non-food lines are BIS-notified:
| Product | BIS route | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Kettles, coffee makers, hand blenders, trimmers, hair dryers, irons, room heaters | ISI | Selling home appliances online |
| Chargers, power banks, earbuds, Bluetooth speakers, LED bulbs | CRS | Selling electronics online |
| Steel bottles, flasks, insulated lunch boxes, pressure cookers, cookware, aluminium foil | ISI | Selling kitchenware online |
| Toys | ISI | Selling toys online |
| Sanitary napkins and baby diapers | ISI | Sanitary napkins BIS page |
BIS’s 2024–25 market surveillance bought products from e-commerce and quick commerce platforms: 142 of 344 samples had no valid certification. One of the 22 e-commerce warehouses BIS searched belonged to Blinkit, and BIS has also raided dark stores, according to a Lok Sabha reply of 6 August 2025. See BIS raids and CCPA orders on e-commerce.
Legal Metrology on every pack
Quick commerce listings must show the Legal Metrology declarations under Rule 6(10) of the Packaged Commodities Rules: maker, packer or importer; country of origin for imports; common name; net quantity; MRP; unit sale price; and consumer care details. Brands that pack goods need LMPC registration under Rule 27. See what an e-commerce listing must show.
Plastic packaging EPR
Most quick commerce products come in plastic packaging. Under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, brand owners, including online platforms, marketplaces and retail chains, are obligated for their plastic packaging unless they are micro or small enterprises. Brands and importers should register with CPCB. See our plastic EPR service.
Checklist for brands joining quick commerce
- GST, PAN, cancelled cheque and signatory documents ready
- Trademark certificate, or authorisation letters for brands you do not own
- Barcodes (UPC or EAN) for every product
- FSSAI licence or registration covering your role and products, with the number on the pack
- Shelf-life planning that meets the 30 percent or 45-day rule at delivery
- BIS ISI licence or CRS registration, with your brand and model in scope, for notified non-food products
- Legal Metrology declarations on the pack and LMPC registration if you pack or import
- Plastic EPR registration as brand owner, unless you are a micro or small enterprise
How Aaditech can help
Aaditech is an independent compliance consultancy, not a partner of any quick commerce app. We handle FSSAI licences, BIS ISI and CRS certification, LMPC registration and plastic EPR for brands, so the documents each app and each law asks for are in place before you apply. Our team includes former BIS officers. See our FSSAI licence and ISI mark certification services, or the marketplace compliance guide.