01 September, 2024

Much ado about quick deliveries

Among the most happening news last week was the latest fund raising of Zepto, a Quick Commerce company. In all, the company has raised over USD 1 Bn (INR 8,200 Cr) in 12 months and is currently valued at USD 5 Bn (INR 60,000 Crores). And what business is Zepto in – as we all know, a term popularly addressed as “Quick Commerce”, a richer offspring of e-commerce. 

If e-commerce companies deliver goods in 1-3 days, Q-commerce companies deliver in 15 mins or less. This is a kind of invention of a product (or service) that no one really wanted. 

When e-commerce in India started getting bigger around 2012 – 2016, delivery in 3 days was a “wow moment” for customers. And then came Amazon’s Prime subscription with which 1-day delivery was made possible. From 2018-2022, one-day delivery was almost the norm, be it Amazon or Flipkart or Myntra or Ajio or any other. 



Circa 1996. That was when I was first exposed to modern retailing. My mother asked me to visit a particular shop where the sugar was cheaper than at the neighbourhood ration shop where we would usually would buy dal, pulses, kerosene and sugar, of course. 


The name of the shop was Subhiksha. It wasn’t just a new shop, rather a new concept. Where one could stand across the counter, look at various products and ask for them to be shown and then decide if one wanted to buy or not. 


Quickly, Subhiksha moved in to one of India’s first ever self-service models of grocery retailing, where one could walk around the store, browse and buy. Add to it, there were several offers and promotions offered by brands.


Cut to Sep. 2024. 



Shoppers browse the apps of Zepto, Blinkit (by Zomato) or Instamart (by Swiggy) alike and then order stuff (that they mostly don’t need, atleast immediately) and those which could be delivered in just a few mins. 


Thousands of users have shared their dissatisfaction that their orders didn’t reach on time as promised – 10 mins or less. I wonder, when did consumers, let alone humans become so busy, that a wait of 10 mins for grocery (or 30 mins for pizzas) is considered eternal? And the FoMo of missing out on ephemeral offers! Phew. 


Back in the day when Dominos would advertise that their pizzas would be delivered in 30 mins or consider it for free, many customers prayed that their deliveries be delayed, so their pizzas would come free. This is just the bane of humankind.


The only characteristic that differentiates humans vs animals is that of greed. The love for greed that consumers carry is incomparable to any other living beings. Even the wildest of animals will hunt their prey only when they are hungry. And this greed (for offers, discounts and promotions) is what keeps us retailers going. 


However, humans (as consumers) in several occasions buy things which they never needed in the first place. And at times when their shopping was inconsequential. 


Take End of Season Sales (EoSS) for example.


Shoppers wait for the occasion and throng branded shops at malls and high streets to buy apparel, shoes, accessories, home improvement items and what not. And then struggle to find use of these products, which end up rotting in wardrobes unused. 



Similar is the Q-commerce conundrum. 


All of a sudden, men, women and children in metro cities yearn for pantry and grocery items to be delivered before half a litre of milk comes to a boil. As if we are headed towards a catastrophe or an Armageddon moment. 

What started off during the Covid-19 lockdown – such as the fear of avoiding shops due to crowds, has now become a staple at several thousand household across India. Scarcity (of time)has never been more celebrated ever! 

Convenience over Experience or Vice versa?

At last count, the quick commerce players such as Blinkit by Zomato, Zepto and Big Basket are said to have delivered over 1,000 units of the...