Indian retail market is undergoing a significant transformation because of the quick commerce sector that promises delivery of goods like essentials and groceries within minutes. When quick-commerce came into action many people didn’t show interest in it, but at this moment we are hearing people debating that quick commerce is preferred more than e-commerce. 

It is anticipated that quick commerce will surpass and go beyond the traditional E-Commerce sector. In the article, we will explore the current market of quick commerce, challenges and the realistic possibility of quick commerce taking over the e-commerce market. 

Quick Commerce delivery partners

Quick commerce has experienced rapid and exponential growth in the past few years. Particularly in 2024, it accounted for more than two-thirds of retail orders. This sector is mostly dominated by Blink it, Swiggy Instamart, and Zepto. This sector also represents one-tenth of the total retail spending in India. 

The success of quick commerce lies in its promise of ultrafast deliveries mostly within 10 to 30 minutes and catering to the growing consumer demands with immediate effect. This convenience has led to changes in customer behavior with more people opting for quick commerce for their day-to-day needs. 

The growth tragedy of this quick commerce sector is continuing with robust growth. Projections indicate that the growth rate will be more than 40% at least until 2030 and this quick commerce will expand into new categories in upcoming years. This market has captured around $259 billion in India, only while catering to 40-50 top cities. 

While the quick commerce sector is growing rapidly traditional E-Commerce sectors also trying to compete with them. One such example is Flipkart Minutes and Amazon’s 15-minute delivery initiative. This shows there is a tough fight between the E-Commerce and quick commerce sectors.

Even though the quick commerce sector is having impressive growth, it also has several challenges. Profitability is the major challenge because quick commerce needs more workforce compared to E-Commerce. This will reduce the profitability and over some time there will be market saturation. As you notice at this point, quick commerce is only used in top cities. but eCommerce is used in almost every part of the country it will be considerably challenging for enter quick commerce into every part of the country. 

There is an ongoing argument on the topic of which commerce sector will lead. E-commerce? or quick commerce? 

But both the commerce sectors cannot succeed without others’ help because quick commerce is ideal for immediate and small basket purchases and traditional commerce is suited for planned and large basket purchases. If quick commerce and e-commerce come up with the collaboration and if they can cater to the growing consumer needs with a better approach both can thrive and grow together. 

Conclusion 

The quick commerce sector has reshaped the retail landscape of India by offering much convenience and speed. But factors like profitability and the diverse nature of customer requirements make it harder for quick commerce to grow. So if both quick commerce and e-commerce can co-exist and cater to customers they both can capture the complete market with stable positions.