DMart is accelerating its physical footprint, adding 65–70 stores yearly and targeting 2,200 locations by 2030, with each mature outlet earning steady 5–6% margins. Meanwhile, quick commerce firms like Blinkit and JioMart are winning app users and orders via 10-minute delivery, but are still heavily loss-making. The two models are diverging because they serve different shopping moments and economies by city density.
Mother Dairy says premium products and expansion into newer markets are its top priorities, as it strengthens distribution and grows its footprint on quick commerce platforms. The company expects demand to keep evolving amid intensifying competition and projects major growth ahead, targeting revenue of Rs 24,000 crore in the coming fiscal year.
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Amazon India says it will invest over INR 2800 crore (about $300M) to strengthen associate safety, health and financial wellbeing while expanding fulfillment and quick commerce to deliver faster across tier 2 and 3 cities. The plan, part of a $35B India investment through 2030, also adds AI tools for on-road safety and workload balancing, plus rest facilities, medical camps and insurance benefits.
Flipkart is reportedly considering a standalone app for its quick commerce arm, Flipkart Minutes, potentially launching before this year’s Big Billion Days sale. A pilot could roll out by July, with a full launch targeted before year-end. Minutes has already scaled to 800 dark stores and is racing toward 1,200, amid heavy competition and Flipkart’s pre-IPO funding plans.
Myntra, India’s largest online apparel retailer, has started a quick commerce pilot called M-Now in select pockets of Bengaluru. The effort, backed by its belief in Q-comm, aims to deliver fashion in about two hours. While positioned as a trial, Myntra expects faster service to nudge shoppers toward more frequent purchases and intensify competition in online apparel retail.
Licious has kicked off its pre IPO plans, bringing in a new CFO and building an omni channel strategy aimed at doubling down on profitability. But the company’s promise of 10 minute deliveries is adding operational pressure, raising questions about margins and scalability even as it positions itself for capital markets investors.
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Reliance Retail led by Isha Ambani is relaunching its quick commerce push with a redesigned model, signaling a shift from the earlier approach. The question now is whether this second innings can overcome customer expectations, operational costs, and intense competition—while building a sustainable edge in India’s fast delivery race.
After the pandemic accelerated online buying, shopping patterns have stayed changed. With quick commerce and home delivery, consumers can access the same high-end brands without visiting malls, shifting demand toward apps and fast delivery. The question now is whether malls can reinvent themselves—or whether they’re becoming optional for a growing share of shoppers.
India’s e commerce and quick commerce sector is moving into a capability led hiring phase, with total talent demand climbing 35% from about 73,000 roles in 2023 to nearly 99,000 in 2025, per CIEL HR. Hiring is increasingly technology driven, focusing on software engineering, DevOps, and AI/ML roles as firms scale digital infrastructure and customer experience.
Amazon India plans to invest Rs 2,800 crore to strengthen its infrastructure and operations, with the goal of improving delivery speeds across the country. The move will expand and effectively double the footprint of its quick commerce vertical, Amazon Now, while also widening its pan-India ecommerce network through additional warehouses and delivery stations.
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Nestle India logged its best quarterly performance in a decade, driven by broad-based volume growth and strong momentum in e-commerce and beverages. The company leaned on a faster path to consumers through quick-commerce and pushed its Nescafe coffee offerings, supported by higher advertising spends. Despite the marketing push, Nestle protected margins through efficient operations and targeted investments.
After breakneck expansion, quick commerce players Blinkit and Instamart are expected to show moderated growth in the January–March quarter. Analysts say the shift comes as firms move from pure expansion toward margin improvement and profitability, tempering growth metrics while strengthening financial discipline. The reset signals a new phase for the category’s competitive playbook.
Flipkart is preparing a dedicated, standalone app for its quick commerce service, Flipkart Minutes, aiming to strengthen visibility and brand recall beyond the main marketplace. The company plans a pilot launch soon and expects broader rollout before the year ends. The move mirrors competitive tactics seen from players like Swiggy, underscoring a rush to own the quick-delivery user journey.
Swiggy’s Instamart saw a dramatic jump in gold and silver demand on Akshaya Tritiya, with shoppers turning to quick commerce for auspicious purchases. Urban buyers favored smaller gold denominations, while silver transactions skewed higher. Some carts even bundled precious metals alongside everyday groceries, pointing to a fast-evolving pattern in festive shopping habits.
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Quick-commerce firms added a notable 21% rise in white-collar hiring in January, signaling a change in how these businesses plan to grow. Instead of prioritising sheer expansion, companies are now focusing on operational efficiency and profitability. Demand is rising for data analysts, product tech talent, and supply chain strategists as the sector realigns its workforce needs.
Zepto has started talks with institutional investors ahead of its planned June-July IPO, seeking capital as quick commerce competition heats up. The company says it has sharply reduced quarterly cash burn and is targeting full-year profitability by FY2028-29, while expanding order volumes through demand growth rather than adding dark stores.
Zippee, a quick commerce logistics startup, crossed 9 lakh orders in February, riding the Q commerce boom. The company helps D2C brands offer sub two hour delivery while keeping customer data and the brand experience intact. With demand for faster fulfilment rising, Zippee is positioning its logistics network as the backbone for rapid, customer friendly shopping.
Pharmacy quick-delivery startup Plazza is in talks to raise $12–15 million, with backing from Accel, Nexus, and Elevation. The funds are earmarked to expand its physical footprint in Bengaluru, targeting growth from two stores to around 20 by year-end. Plazza also plans to broaden offerings beyond prescription medicines.
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The National Restaurants Association of India is again clashing with Swiggy and Zomato, this time over their quick-food café formats built around delivery partners that can prepare and serve in as little as 10 minutes. NRAI claims these concepts harm dining standards and local restaurants, while platforms push speed and scale. The next phase could reshape India’s restaurant ecosystem fast.
Venture-backed startups are trying to make fashion the next quick-commerce win, promising under-hour delivery in metro cities. But the model relies on steep discounts and deep cash burn to attract customers, while inventories are expensive and trends change fast. Investors remain optimistic about growth potential, yet long-term scalability is far from settled.
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