Q-commerce and it’s Impact on Traditional Retail Industry
Authors: Anamika R, Anaswara Obrin, Sreelakshmi PM 1.Introduction Q-commerce, also termed as Quick Commerce has been gaining immense popularity in the contemporary generation owing to the precedence of speedy and prompt delivery services. Quick commerce is a byproduct of e-commerce which focuses on delivering goods and services to the consumers very quickly within 30 minutes to 1 hour. The major characteristic of Q commerce is clearly indicated by the term itself and it will be the next generation of e-commerce (Nierynck, 2020). Specifically defined, Quick commerce is speed delivery of goods, often groceries, to urban customers under an hour, through some deliveries which takes less than 15 minutes. Products include food and grocery items, sanitary products, cosmetics, magazines etc. which are stored in dark stores, inaccessible to the general public, scattered across urban areas, facilitating fast online services. The supply-demand disequilibrium during the pandemic, simultaneously had an adverse effect of traditional retailers whereas served as an opportunity for online businesses (Elnahla and Neilson, 2021). Therefore, Covid-19 was particularly responsible for the increasing popularity of Q-commerce posed by the difficulties assiciated with going to retail stores and the risk of infection which had negaticely affected traditional retailers, several of whom had to shut down their stores due to lack of demand. This essay further exproles the impact of the rapid growth of Q-commerce on traditional retailers. 2.Literature Review The impact of Covid-19 virus and accelerated acceptance of online shopping technologies by consumers led to the introduction and faster growth of e-commerce and Quick-commerce (Gupta, 2024). The demand for quick delivery grew sharply thoughout the pandemic and a study conducted on q-commerce customers had showed that 12% of them had completely switched to online deliveries (Günday et al., 2020). This is a result of the convenience, increased business opportunities and probability of a successful business. The demand for Q-commerce is higher among the youth who are familiar with mobile phone usage (Tugberk Ariker, 2021) and online transactions. The arrival of Quick commerce have posed a serious threat to traditional retail market. This is evident from a recent study conducted on consumers perception on Quick commerce replacing traditional retail shops. Findings of this recent study showed that 55% of the people said yes indicating a gradual shift from the traditional retail shopping habits, 30% said no suggesting a strong hold to traditional grocery stores and 15% were reflecting uncertainty (Singh, Agarwal 2025).The estimated market size for Quick commerce around was $4 globally, out of this Indian market projected to reach $5 billion in 2025 from $0.3 billion in 2021 (Gupta, 2024).On a research conducted by IRJMETS adopting a quantitative approach it identifies that key factors including consumer behavior, conveniences, delivery speed, overall shopping experiences were of great importance through a questionnaire administered to 100 residents of Vadodara. It showed that a majority of respondents perceive Quick commerce as more convenient and faster than traditional retail, with 58% favoring its convenience and 69% recognizing its superior delivery speed (Mistry, Jethva, 2025). Surprisingly Quick commerce also faces challenges like the difficulty to strengthen its arrival and growth in the market. In Boston Consulting Group’s study, it critically evaluates the challenges of Quick commerce in gaining profits due to increasing the operational costs, warehousing, delivery logistics etc which is required to attract the customers. This report contrasts with the retail stores which operates on more stable margins (Singh, Agarwal 2025). The government has been focusing on protecting the interests of the small retailers and traditional Kirana stores, safeguarding local business interests and promoting fare competition. Various measures in the form of Acts, rules and policies have been put in place to ensure a leveled playing-field and to act against anti-competitive practices (India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, 2023). The government has been putting forward ONDC’s for integrating digital platforms, FDI regulations to protect the retail market and prevent the Quick commerce from taking advantage of the multi-brand retail stores. 3.Methodology This study adopted a cross-sectional design to explore the research question, by collecting primary data through questionnaire-based web survey using Google forms, administered to a targeted sample. Secondary data was sourced from academic articles sourced from Google Scholar, the Government of India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s official website, and international journals including IJFMR, IJRPR and IRJMETS. The integration of primary and secondary data enabled a comprehensive and robust analysis, ensuring nuanced understanding and conclusions on the topic. 4.Analysis The aim of the survey was to understand consumer attitudes towards quick commerce platforms and analyze the impact of its rising popularity on the traditional retail industry. The analysis was done using primary data from a sample of 72 resondents. People from five different age groups participated in the survey (Below 18, 18-24, 24-34, 35-44, 45 and above) with the largest 65.7% of respondents being 18-24 years of age. Of the total respondents, 88.9% identified as female and 11.1% identified as male, reflecting a gender distribution skewed towards female participants. The samples were distributed across students, working professionals, home makers, retired and other with the largest proportion of samples being students (81.9%). Majority of the participants resided in urban areas (76.4%) followed by semi urban (18.1%).Only 5.6% of respondents lived in rural areas. The questions were designed to gather insights into consumer behaviors, preferences and perceptions regarding Quick commerce platforms compared to conventional retail shopping. The questions also explored the impact of rising popularity of Q-commerce platforms on the traditional retail industry. 5.Findings Majority of the respondents purchase from Quick Commerce platforms occasionally(56.9%)followed by respondents who use Q-commerce platforms weekly(22.2%).12.5% of participants have never used any Quick Commerce platforms. While 8.3% of respondents agreed that they purchase using Quick Commerce platforms on a daily basis. Instamart and Blinkit were the popular choices among the respondents(27.5%).Other Q- commerce platforms like Zepto, big basket, Jiomart were also widely used. 64.3% respondents used Quick Commerce platforms to buy groceries indicating that quick commerce is particularly favored for regular, time-sensitive purchases like fresh produce and pantry staples. 52.9% participants opted
