Sharmila Das’ Post

It's no big secret that #quickcommerce is overtaking #ecommerce and #socialcommerce space. Also the #kiraana shopping undergoing a massive change. Reasons for E-commerce decline : 1) Competition Commission Of India CCI as per reports has asked Flipkart and Amazon to suspend their operations due to predatory pricing and murky business behaviour such as favouring certain vendors over democratic listing ,pricing like cellphones 2) Speed of delivery compared to quick commerce is sameday for prime,7days for normal buys 3) Due to the millions of vendors, SKU listings finding a stand out from the crowd is nearly impossible except for few segments /categories 4) Lack of service ,wrong product deliveries leading to poor customer service and bad review ratings,online 5) Deep Discounting structure has diluted and killed many a #fashion #beauty brands and categories alike .There is no brand building strategy on a marketplace it's like commodity selling. Rise of the Quick commerce: 1) From what we knew as #qcom the Blinkit acquisition by Zomato and Zepto valuation at 5Bn U$ soon Flipkart #instamart bigbasket.com followed suit in this game 2) Rise of Dark Stores within 5-10Kms radius of pocket residential areas in urban and tier-2/3 towns. 3) Customer On-Demand services such as Electronics, Fmcg and grocery seeing double digit growth between 15-16% 4) Consumer Experience: Better and direct ,ultra fast deliveries enable overall consumer satisfaction at the cost of higher delivery charges .Now Blinkit offers free delivery above 199* Rs./- 5)Festivity and Event days are a big draw for consumers to order on Quick commerce platforms like #Dusserah #diwali, new year ,Xmas , Ganesha pooja, Durga Pooja etc. This means higher spend ,higher disposable incomes 6) Urban town and Tier-1 and even Tier -2 slowly adopting this culture among the double income no kids couple culture compared to larger families with lower incomes . The #kiranaas will see a slide in their sales among higher income groups but will serve the loyal middle class groups In tier-3/4 and rural areas which are the umapped retail or newer territories. #socialcommerce will serve to younger audience for storytelling and branding . The Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC) has nodded to acknowledge and monitor growth of #quickcommerce and ministry of commerce had welcome FDI investment in this segment. Current market size stands at Fy2024-25 at 3.34Bn U$ set to surpass whopping 40Bn U$ by 2030 as per Deloitte consulting for quick commerce. Expect a slide in Diwali ,festival sales from both Amazon great Indian sale and Flipkart Big billion day sales channels. Definitely its a dynamic shift in the consumer journey and behavioral patterns since 35% shift is big enough change under 2yrs of quick commerce. #linkedin #linkedinnetwork #linkedinfollowers #linkedinnetworking #strategy #trade #commerce #consumption #consumerexperience #tuesdaythoughts #d2c

🚨 Are Kirana Stores Losing to Quick-Commerce? 🚨 Two months ago, Mahadev Patel shut down his 9-year-old kirana store in Mumbai. Why? Competing with 10-minute deliveries and heavy discounts from platforms like Zepto and Blinkit was impossible. Over 200,000 kirana stores closed last year in cities. Quick-commerce is being blamed, but is it really the culprit? Zepto’s founder Aadit Palicha says it’s a “data-free narrative”: ✅ Kiranas captured $41B of the $46B grocery market growth in FY23-24. ✅ Only $5B went to quick-commerce. Palicha also claims: 📉 Only 0.2% of Zepto’s products sold below cost. 📈 80% sold at over 20% margin. But critics disagree. A LinkedIn post pointed out that while individual products aren’t heavily discounted, platforms often offer steep discounts on total baskets, funded as “promotion expenses” that hurt profitability. This raises questions about how sustainable these practices are. Adding more fuel to the competition, Amazon India has entered the quick-commerce race with its new initiative, “Tez.” The team is tasked with building a "ground-up" and "brand-new e-commerce experience," signaling that the battle for speed and convenience is only intensifying. The quick-commerce boom has reshaped urban shopping, but at what cost? Can kiranas innovate fast enough, or is this their final chapter? 💬 What’s your view? Are platforms like Zepto Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart disruptors or destroyers? Let’s discuss! 👇 #QuickCommerce #KiranaStores #Disruption #Zepto #StartupIndia #Zomato #Blinkit #Swiggy

#quickcommerce in India continues to heat-up. Swiggy IPO is imminent. Zepto is on the way after staying patient and not selling off early by being focused on #geography and #aov. Now, Zomato is looking to raise more funds to be ready to stay ahead of the competition by building on their successes and being proactive as opposed to reactive - which may be more costly.bigbasket.com has already the move to increase their average order values and making more efficient use of their larger #warehousing space to accommodate #electronics #householdgoods more #fmcg and be a bit more of a #marketplace if that's what some consumers are looking for nowadays. The conversation had been heading toward #realestate when it comes to quick commerce for some time. Now, every one is fighting for space to be able to ramp up their fulfillment, tighten up their #procurement strategy, and deliver as fast as possible. The locations for #darkstores and #fulfillment centers are super crucial. There is more thought being put in to it than just having a location in key localities. These companies are optimizing space and optimizing exactly where their physical infrastructure is located down to which street corner, side-lanes, potential traffic bottlenecks, thru-roads, you name it. The questions are now about: -Is the dark store on a one way or two way road? -Is there easy direct access to a main drag like 100 Feet Road in #indiranagar #Bangalore or Link Road in #Mumbai? -Are there straight-line/grid layouts nearby to avoid high-traffic roads or lanes? -If the delivery partner can get to the main road easily, is there a traffic signal that usually requires a lot of wait time? -Even if there is direct access to multiple east-west/north-south main roads, are there road dividers in-place that don't allow for easy crossing to the other side? *this is a very interesting scenario that you can see being solved on the ground already. Sometimes you may wonder why there are dark stores or physical stores so close to each other. This is one of the reasons apart from volume/population. All of this is crucial to being ahead of the competition and remaining asset-light to keep AOV up! Hari Menon Zomato India Blinkit Deepinder Goyal Albinder Dhindsa Sriharsha M. DMart - Avenue Supermarts Ltd #transportation #logistics #urbanplanning #urban #rural #road #traffic #location #business #street #motorcycle #ev #scooter #bike

💡Blinkit and Zepto are introducing beauty, fashion, technology, and other things. ⏩Two of the biggest quick #commerce platforms, Blinkit, owned by Zomato India, and Zepto, a startup located in Mumbai, are rapidly breaking into the e-commerce space and want to add a number of categories, including home, kitchen, fashion, beauty, electronics, and toys. ⏩According to those with #knowledge of the situation, Zepto, the first unicorn of 2023, has reached $1 billion in annualised gross sales as per the most recent figures. In the next two months, these platforms will add thousands more SKUs, bringing the total to over 10,000, as they observe users coming in to make regular transactions that propel platform commerce. ⏩According to those with knowledge of the plans, expanding beyond groceries and essentials will greatly expand the scope of #rapid commerce, affecting local kiranas as well as well-known e-commerce competitors Flipkart and Amazon. ⏩In addition, these platforms are strengthening their #logistical networks to handle a greater variety of products and guarantee that they are linked to dark stores and ready for delivery. Carrying a large number of SKUs for faster delivery timelines is a substantial expansion of strategy from two years ago, when quick commerce was beginning to take shape in India. ⏩Zepto and Blinkit have ventured into the fashion industry, partnering with clothing companies and vendors to list labels such as Mad Over Print, adidas, Pepe Jeans India Limited Jeans, Jockey International, Inc., Vedant Fashions Limited - Manyavar-Mohey, and XYXX. Although both platforms' entry into the garment market is still in its early phases, some with knowledge of the developments speculate that in specific use cases, the companies may end up becoming the preferred destinations for shoppers. ⏩Zepto, an apparel company based in Mumbai, markets its products to potential customers by emphasising the necessity for quick-fitting #clothing. To share your startup story write us on - startup@viestories.com #commerce #gross #logistical #shoppers #fashion

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗖 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘-𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮? 🤔 Imagine you’re a small business owner selling handcrafted jewelry in Jaipur. Competing with e-commerce giants like Amazon or Flipkart, which control 60% of India's market, feels impossible, right? 😩 That’s where ONDC, the Open Network for Digital Commerce, steps in to level the playing field ⚖️. ONDC connects sellers of all sizes—from local shops to medium businesses—directly with consumers, giving them a chance to shine. It even includes over 4,00,000 rural Grameen e-stores, providing jobs for people delivering products to customers' doorsteps 🚚🏡. In the food delivery space, ONDC is shaking things up for giants like Zomato and Swiggy, which dominate 90% of the market 🍽️. While ONDC saw a peak of 25,000 daily orders earlier this year before dipping due to reduced discounts, it's just getting started with more categories and updates on the way 🔄📈. By standardizing protocols for everything from groceries 🥦 to travel bookings ✈️, and even finance and insurance 💳, it’s set to touch every aspect of our daily lives. Big names like ITC Limited, Unilever, and Procter & Gamble India are already onboard, and more are likely to follow 🚀. With ONDC, the future of e-commerce in India is about inclusivity, innovation, and opportunity for all 🤝. It’s not just reshaping how we shop—it's creating a digital ecosystem where everyone can thrive 🌍. #ONDC #EcommerceForAll #SmallBusinessIndia #DigitalIndia #Innovation

India, get ready to shop like never before! The way India shops is undergoing a massive transformation, and it's all thanks to the pioneers of quick commerce - Blinkit and Zepto Gone are the days of waiting for hours or even days for your online orders to arrive. With Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart, you can get your favorite products delivered to your doorstep in just a few hours thanks to the concepts of “Dark Stores” These quick commerce players have mastered the art of dark stores, which are nothing but compact warehouses that enable swift order picking and packing for same-day delivery. According to recent reports, the demand for dark stores has touched an astonishing 24 million sq ft in 2023, leaving many wondering what this concept is all about and why it's gaining traction. But the question remains... Will traditional brick-and-mortar stores be able to keep up with the pace of quick commerce, or will they need to adapt to survive in this new retail landscape? Share your thoughts in the comments! Blinkit Zepto LinkedIn LinkedIn News India #quickcommerce #india #retail #market #linkedin #blinkit #zepto

In a strategic maneuver, Uber has entered India's rapidly growing quick commerce market, capitalizing on its swift expansion plans. The focus lies on facilitating hyperlocal deliveries from Kirana and neighborhood stores, with an initial emphasis on prepaid orders. Targeting Kirana and neighbourhood stores, Uber's new venture aims to revolutionise hyperlocal deliveries, starting with prepaid orders. But that's not all – users can now enjoy the convenience of store pickups, selecting any store within serviced areas and making direct payments. With a rollout across nine major Indian cities, including Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, and Chennai, Uber is gearing up for a fierce competition against established players like Flipkart and Rapido. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's vision for Uber in India remains strong, as the company diversifies its offerings to meet the dynamic needs of the Indian market. And with over 1.2 crore Kirana stores nationwide, Uber's entry into quick commerce has the potential to shake up the industry and give its competitors a run for their money! Click the link to read the whole article: https://lnkd.in/dSjxmACr NEERAJ TIWARI #UberIndia #QuickCommerce #Innovation #KiranaRevolution

𝐅𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐬: 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐬-𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 It’s fascinating to see that half of Flipkart’s quick commerce sales are in electronics, especially since other players have been slower to focus on this category. Traditionally, quick commerce has centered around low-value or seasonal consumer goods—think iPhones after launch or air purifiers during Delhi's pollution peaks. The only notable exception is BigBasket, which has entered large-scale electronics retail in quick commerce, but only in partnership with Croma and limited to three cities for now. This positions Flipkart Minutes uniquely, even at its current small scale. Despite being operational in just three major city clusters—Mumbai, Bengaluru, and NCR—these regions account for roughly 75% of all Indian e-commerce sales. If Flipkart can solidify its position in these markets with an electronics-first strategy, it could transform the quick commerce landscape. Higher ticket sizes and margins might also make Flipkart Minutes the fastest to turn profitable from the start, a feat not seen in this highly competitive sector. While some have already crowned Blinkit the leader, the reality is that this is a nascent 2-year-old industry, with many cash-rich players entering in just the last six months. And with Amazon Tez and JioMart Express preparing to enter the fray, it’s too early to declare winners. The market is still evolving. Each player is taking a different approach: 1. Zepto and Blinkit prioritize grocery, kitchen, and home essentials—the kind of products Kiranas sell. 2. Swiggy Instamart follows a similar model but leverages its food delivery logistics, making its operations unique. 3. BigBasket has shifted to Blinkit’s model but is expanding into medicines and electronics, utilizing synergies with Tata Group companies like Tata 1mg and Croma—marking the first true integration of q-commerce with other business verticals. 4. Flipkart, meanwhile, appears to be carving out an electronics-first quick commerce platform, fundamentally changing unit economics and operations. Clearly, the dust has yet to settle. We don’t know which of these models or platforms will dominate three years from now. Flipkart’s fresh approach, however, adds an intriguing dimension to this rapidly evolving space. Do you agree? Flipkart bigbasket.com Apple Croma Blinkit Amazon JioMart Digital Swiggy Zepto Tata 1mg #bengaluru #Delhi #NCR #Mumbai #QuickCommerce #FasterDelivery #Ecosystem #Strategy #Business

Have we ever wondered that how India's quick-commerce industry experienced a rapid growth in the past couple of years ? Well, you will be shocked to know that now these quick-commerce firms like Blinkit, Zepto, bigbasket.com & Dunzo has started competing with e-commerce biggies like Amazon & Flipkart. Intially it all started with a very modestic & below average revenue growth for all these small firms. After some significant business analysis, it was pointed out that the main reason was their failure to produce high AOV (Average Order Value). AOV can be calculated simply by dividing the total revenue generated by the conpany divided by the total number of orders. So what master mind did they use to turn the tide? They simply started making strategies to increase the AOV. Previously their AOV was around 300-350/- and now there goal was to reach an AOV of atleast 550/-. They introduced one brilliant strategy which said "any successfull quick commerce business needs to run on the basis of C-C-C (Cost-Convenience-Catalog)". Therefore they did rigorous demographic researches on indian consumers and divided them into INDIA-1, INDIA-2 and INDIA-3. - INDIA-1 consumers buy products on the basis of catalog and convenience. - INDIA-2 consumers buy products depending on convenience as well as cost to a minor extent. - INDIA-3 consumers buy products only on the basis of cost and nothing else matters for them. As we can interpret that the majority of consumer groups are concerned about "convenience", so all these companies started giving more emphasis on their delivery time consumption. Delivery time was drastically scaled down from 1hr-2hr to 8mins-14mins. Secondly, even if they increase the AOV it won't affect their business much because cost is only the concern of INDIA-3 consumers. This brilliant strategy led to a mind blowing turn over and quick-commerce sector did not had to look back ever since. #business_talks #ecommerce #business_research #business_analysis

Counter Intuitively I think Q-com is going to make it harder to build D2C or as Deepak Shahdadpuri rightfully calls them insurgent, brands. India has about 1.2 crore physical retail outlets, in FMCG alone. A distribution behemoth like Unilever or ITC Limited would have a reach of about 75 to 90 lacs of these outlets, directly or indirectly. There is more nuance but, long story short, it's this scale of distribution in unorganised retail that new brands can't achieve anytime soon. Distribution is key, if you're not available to me, you're not in my consideration set despite all the brand love. Think about the last time you didn't brush your teeth because your favourite toothpaste wasn't available. The same is now also true for mobile phones that are yet to be launched in India. Now, the previous decade had Amazon and Flipkart democratise consumer reach and the likes of udaan.com consolidated access to unorganised retail to some extent. The online market places favoured the insurgent D2C brands, thanks to the discounts being offered by them as compared to the established players. The insurgent brands weren't winning yet but they were making an impact with the help of these marketplaces. Covid accelerated growth for D2C brands but things settled down soon after. Insurgent brands are still a reasonable way from dominance but there seemed to be an evolving template. Here is the problem though, covid also accelerated a new channel, Qcom. FK , Amazon, and even brick&mortar players like Reliance , More , Big Bazaar etc organised the 'planned' purchase part of retail. Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart however have also solved the problem of 'unplanned' purchase which used to happen through neighborhood stores. Unlike Ecom, Q-com cannot operate on a large width of inventory. I think you see what's happening. Limited width of inventory, plus consolidation of distribution means only the brands with money to pay Q-com get listed, thus limiting the number of brands that can be built. Now here is a completely different way to think about it. Q-com will want new brands to succeed to gain better margins. They'll proactively list D2C brands as pilots in a few pin codes. If it works they'll scale them and replace legacy brands. Which way do you think this will play out for brands? Will the neighborhood stores survive? #startup #ecom #qcom #D2C #Brands