Quick commerce is changing the way India shops. In this age of instant delivery, smaller brands, once relegated to the corner of kirana stores or supermarkets, are muscling their way onto screen tiles and into consumers’ wallets. “We’re now able to reach the doorsteps of targeted, mid-to-premium households in metro and tier-1 cities without high marketing budgets,” said one smaller brand.
Quick commerce in India is expanding beyond groceries to include electronics, driven by demand for fast delivery. While convenient for accessories and impulse buys, premium electronics require trust, in-store experiences, and financing options. A hybrid model blending online convenience with offline support is emerging, prioritizing both speed and customer needs for high-value tech purchases.
As the food delivery market cools, Swiggy is turning to quick meals, affordable combos, and deeper city penetration to stoke demand. In an exclusive interview with ET, Swiggy’s food marketplace CEO Rohit Kapoor said growth will come from low-frequency users and category innovation — not from city expansion.
Coca-Cola's COO, Henrique Braun, reports resilient consumer demand in India despite a broader FMCG slowdown and early monsoons impacting summer product sales. Double-digit volume growth was achieved in the quarter due to pre-summer inventory stocking.
Kathryn McLay says Walmart is excited about Flipkart’s growth but is not so focused on profitability in such a way that we would trade off market share and growth for the future. Amid the quick commerce rush, Flipkart’s Indian marketplace entity received a cash infusion of Rs 2,225 crore (around $260 million) from its Singapore-based parent, according to regulatory filings.
Flipkart is experiencing strong momentum with 20–25 per cent year-on-year order growth in May, despite an industry slowdown. CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy highlighted the firm’s India re-domiciling move, profitability push, and 30 per cent projected June growth. He also reaffirmed that Flipkart’s quick commerce venture, Minutes, aims to scale up to 800 operational dark stores by the close of 2025.
Zepto's cofounder, Aadit Palicha, accused a rival company's CFO of orchestrating a smear campaign by spreading false information to investors and media. Palicha defends Zepto's financial health, citing significant growth in gross order value and Ebdita improvement. He asserts the company's strong cash position and denies plans for large-scale store closures.
Zepto's new 'Product Swap' feature is more than a UI update; it's a strategic shift in D2C commerce. By suggesting cheaper or better-value alternatives at checkout, Zepto gathers crucial data on consumer preferences. This data can be leveraged for sponsored product placements and the promotion of Zepto's private-label products, posing both a threat and an opportunity for D2C brands.
BofA has downgraded Zomato and Swiggy as India's food delivery market slows due to quick commerce growth and reduced discretionary spending. Zomato is addressing this by ending its 15-minute delivery service and promoting Blinkit's Bistro, while Swiggy focuses on its Bolt quick delivery service and new product offerings like 'Drops' and student discounts.
Flipkart Minutes aims to boost average order values and profitability by integrating Flipkart's extensive product range. Expanding rapidly, the quick commerce service plans to double its dark store count to 800 by year-end, focusing on long-tail items to enhance customer retention and order frequency. While scaling up, Flipkart is also evaluating expansion into tier-II and tier-III cities based on demand.
Reliance Retail, More, and Spencer's are launching dark stores. This move aims to match the speed of Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and Zepto. These quick commerce platforms have impacted kiranas and retail chains. Dark stores enable faster deliveries within a small radius. More Retail has already set up 45 dark stores and plans to add 100 more.
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