How Quick Commerce’s $68 Bn GMV Opportunity Is Reshaping Brand Strategy

No longer just a fad, quick commerce is rapidly becoming a deeply embedded consumer habit in India. And the results are beginning to show. 

As per Inc42 Datalas’ ‘D2C 3.0: The Next Big Wave In Indian Ecommerce, Report 2026’, quick commerce players are expected to clock $68 Bn in gross merchandise value (GMV) by 2031, up from $8.3 Bn in 2026 — an almost 8X rise at a 52% CAGR. 

Unlike the earlier ecommerce wave that was primarily driven by fashion and beauty and personal care (BPC), the rise of quick deliveries has made food and grocery the fastest-growing ecommerce category.

The report highlights that the food and grocery ecommerce category is expected to clock a CAGR of 28% between 2026 and 2031, surpassing electronics (18%) and fashion (20%). 

While staples are expected to continue their dominance in the quick commerce space for the foreseeable future, platforms are trying to rejig the revenue mix to capture a bigger wallet share. 

Quick delivery players are now entering high-AOV (average order value) categories like electronics, beauty and personal care, apparel, and gifting.

“The biggest driver is the shift from emergency-led usage to habit-led consumption. In many metro markets, consumers are now placing three to five quick commerce orders per week, not just for groceries but across categories like personal care, electronics, pharmacy, beverages, and gifting,” quick commerce logistics platform Zippee’s founder Madhav Kasturia told Inc42. 

This structural shift is blurring the lines between planned and impulsive purchases. Same day deliveries are becoming the default, with 60-minute fulfilment emerging as a new premium benchmark.

This challenges both retail as well as ecommerce platforms. 

The Premiumisation Push 

One of the biggest shifts that is pushing the segment towards a GMV of $68 Bn by 2031 is the emergence of quick commerce as the preferred channel for affluent consumers, not just buyers of kitchen staples. 

Yash Dholakia, partner at VC firm Sauce.vc, said quick commerce has now evolved into a preferred channel for affluent consumers, built around a limited but high-quality premium assortment and fulfilment.

This evolution is rewiring the purchase behaviour, resulting in increasing basket size, higher purchase frequency, and fewer supermarket visits. This shift also resulted in Blinkit’s net order value (NOV) surging 95.4% YoY to ₹14,386 Cr in Q4 FY26. 

With players having cracked speed, product quality has emerged as the next important factor for consumers seeking a premium experience as quick deliveries become a part of everyday routine.

“Just like any other channel, profitability and defensibility depends on the brand pull and customer love. Also, differentiation and product quality are paramount as it’s more of a repeat and fulfilment channel than discovery,” Dholakia added.

He noted that quick commerce offers consumers in Tier II cities (where the channel is a preferred avenue for premium purchases) greater trust, convenience, and instant fulfilment, while also providing access to product assortments that are often unavailable at local retailers. 

How Brands Are Rewiring For Quick Commerce 

As quick commerce brings a shift in purchase behaviour, brands are also evolving and rethinking their focus areas. Zippee’s Kasturia said that brands are now moving their focus from fast deliveries to sustainable operational efficiency.

Brands are working more on metrics like inventory accuracy, gig worker utilisation, dark store math, and much more. 

“Earlier, the market was heavily centered around 10-15 minute delivery promises. Today, metrics like 95%+ fill rates, inventory accuracy, dark store throughput, rider utilisation, and contribution margins are becoming equally important,” Kasturia added.

However, the segment still faces key bottlenecks. The Zippee founder elaborated that infrastructure density is the biggest obstacle for brands beyond metro cities. While demand across Tier I & II markets is rising rapidly, dark store infrastructure and rider networks are yet to scale sufficiently to enable reliable 30-minute deliveries. 

On top of this, low order density and difficulty in locating exact addresses make last-mile operations more complex outside large urban clusters.

“The next phase of growth will depend heavily on expanding hyperlocal warehousing and improving last-mile efficiency beyond Tier I cities,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dholakia believes brands need to build strong margin structures and packaging tailored for both quick commerce logistics and consumer convenience, as product quality and fulfilment increasingly drive retention. 

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