Q-commerce

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Q-commerce, also referred to as quick commerce, is a type of e-commerce where emphasis is on quick deliveries, typically in less than an hour. [1] Q-commerce originally started with food delivery and it still represents the largest chunk of the business. It has quickly expanded to other categories particularly for grocery delivery, medicines, gifts, and apparel etc. [2]

Contents

In early 2020, the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 pandemic began to give a major boost to q-commerce as it allowed retailers to remain operational via quick home deliveries. [3] At the time, it was speculated that prolonged restrictions would result in a long-term consumer behavior shift towards quick deliveries, establishing q-commerce as "the third generation of commerce". [4] However, as pandemic restrictions began to lift and a burgeoning cost of living crisis made paying higher prices for rapid delivery less sustainable, demand for q-commerce in many parts of the world waned, causing businesses to downsize or fold altogether.

Companies in q-commerce include Chaldal, Meituan, Gojek, Grab, Delivery Hero, Glovo, BigBasket, Blinkit, Swiggy, Rappi, GoPuff, Instacart, Zepto and Postmates.

History

Grofers made its first pivot in 2013 with its 90-minute delivery concept leading to modern Q-commerce concept. [5] [6]

Deliveries of necessities are intended to be provided as quickly as possible; they can occasionally arrive in a matter of minutes. [7] Initially, delivery time hovered around 60 minutes but by 2019 several companies started local warehouses (cloud stores or dark stores) to drive delivery times down towards 20 minutes. [8] The quick commerce delivery time as of 2025 in India is under 10-minute. [9] [10]

The rapidly growing category offers a large selection of products at any time of day and in particular targets single-person households. [11] It is currently estimated that the Q-commerce market is $300 million and is expected to grow 10 to 15 times over the next five years to touch $5 billion. [12]

From 2023, Q-commerce orders in India increased, and they made up about 40% to 50% of the country's e-grocery expenditures in 2024. [13] With delivery times of less than ten minutes, Q-commerce purchases in India now include the selling of high-end goods like the most recent iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. Approximately 55% of festive orders placed in India in 2024 are placed by first-time customers on Q-commerce. [14]

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References

  1. ↑ "From e-commerce to q-commerce: The rise of the 30 minutes or less delivery". The National. 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  2. ↑ "'Q' is fastest growing category in UAE's e-commerce as delivery speed matters". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  3. ↑ Keane, Jonathan. "Glovo Enters The Q-Commerce Race As On-Demand Delivery Market Intensifies". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  4. ↑ "Glovo enters EUR 100M strategic partnership with Stoneweg to expand Q-Commerce". Business Review (in Romanian). 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  5. ↑ Bhalla, Kritti (13 December 2021). "After giving up on 90-minute delivery five years ago due to lack of profitability, Grofers is now chasing 10-minute delivery | Business Insider India". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  6. ↑ Shu, Catherine (2015-02-27). "Grofers, An On-Demand Delivery Service For Indian Cities, Raises $10M From Sequoia And Tiger Global". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  7. ↑ "India Pioneering the Rise of Quick Commerce". Daily Excelsior. 2024-11-13. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  8. ↑ "Talabat continues a q-commerce strategy with cloud kitchens". Caterer Middle East. 2020-11-30. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  9. ↑ "Is the 10-minute dash becoming the way to sell in India?". The Economic Times. 2025-01-03. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  10. ↑ "Bigbasket Now Strengthens Position in India's Retail and Quick Commerce Sector". Indian Retailer. Retrieved 2025-01-04.
  11. ↑ "QUICK COMMERCE – THE NEXT GENERATION OF E-COMMERCE". 2020-04-28.
  12. ↑ LogiBee. "5 Steps Towards Launching a Successful Q Commerce Business in 2022". logibee.ai. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  13. ↑ Sheth, Arpan; Unnikrishnan, Shyam; Bhasin, Manan; Raj, Abhishek (2023-12-13). "How India Shops Online 2023". Bain. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
  14. ↑ Ghosh, Aritra (18 October 2024). "Why 55% of First-Time Shoppers Are Choosing Q-Commerce for Festive Buys". Indian Retailer. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
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