Quick commerce grows four times faster than traditional ecommerce, captures majority share in everyday online purchases: Report

Quick commerce is emerging as the primary growth engine of India's digital commerce market, growing nearly four times faster than traditional ecommerce while increasingly dominating everyday household purchases, according to the June edition of the India Digital Commerce Pulse report by intelligent commerce platform 1DigitalStack (1DS).

Quick commerce is emerging as the primary growth engine of India's digital commerce market, growing nearly four times faster than traditional ecommerce while increasingly dominating everyday household purchases, according to the June edition of the India Digital Commerce Pulse report by intelligent commerce platform 1DigitalStack (1DS). The report estimated India's digital commerce market at around Rs 8 lakh crore in 2026 and said quick commerce has grown into a Rs 1.08 lakh crore segment, accounting for about 13.5 per cent of the overall market.

"Quick commerce is compounding at ~40% YoY - over 2x the pace of overall digital commerce - while marketplaces hold scale and legacy D2C cools," the report said. According to the report, traditional horizontal marketplaces led by Amazon and Flipkart continue to account for the largest share of digital commerce at Rs 4 lakh crore, or 50 per cent of the market. However, their growth remains relatively modest compared with quick commerce.

The report noted that quick commerce platforms such as Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, and Zepto are benefiting from expansion into Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, increasing consumer adoption and a growing shift of routine purchases towards rapid-delivery platforms. Beyond growth rates, the report highlighted a structural change in consumer behaviour, showing that quick commerce is increasingly becoming the preferred channel for everyday purchases.

"Quick commerce owns the everyday basket; Amazon holds the considered buys," the report said. The findings showed quick commerce now captures 94 per cent of online food and beverage purchases, 68 per cent of home care purchases, 61 per cent of personal care purchases and 54 per cent of baby care purchases.

The report said quick commerce is "more than doubling in Home Care (+101% YoY) and Baby Care (+105% YoY)," underscoring the rapid shift in household consumption patterns. At the same time, consumers continue to rely on traditional ecommerce platforms for higher-value and less frequent purchases. The report noted that Amazon "still owns Electronics and Kitchen & Home - the higher-consideration, lower-frequency categories."

The report also pointed to rapid infrastructure expansion supporting the growth of quick commerce. Combined dark-store networks of Blinkit, Instamart and Zepto expanded to 5,026 locations in May 2026 from 3,405 a year earlier. The strongest growth in recent months has come from summer-driven categories. The report identified ice cream, beverages and face care as the leading growth categories, supported by seasonal demand and wider product availability across quick-commerce platforms.

"Ice cream, beverages and face care post the season's sharpest lifts," the report said, adding that quick-commerce platforms are increasingly shaping consumer purchase decisions across these categories. The report suggests that while traditional ecommerce platforms continue to dominate large-ticket purchases, quick commerce is steadily becoming the default destination for everyday household spending, creating a significant shift in India's digital retail landscape. (ANI)