India plans e-commerce regulator, tighter controls under new policy: Report

India plans e-commerce regulator, tighter controls under new policy: Report

India’s Quick Commerce Market Could Reach US$90 Billion by FY31 as Retail Shopping Undergoes Major Transformation

According to a report jointly prepared by Google and Redseer Strategy Consultants, India’s quick commerce market could reach US$70–90 billion by FY31, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41–48%. Monthly transacting users are expected to exceed 100 million, compared with approximately 40–44 million in FY26.

India’s quick commerce market is projected to expand nearly sevenfold to US$90 billion (approximately ₹8.54 lakh crore) by FY2030–31, driven by growing consumer adoption, expanding product categories and increasing demand beyond metropolitan cities. The sector, currently valued at approximately US$13 billion (₹1.15 lakh crore) in FY2025–26, is emerging as an increasingly important component of India’s retail economy.

According to a report jointly prepared by Google and Redseer Strategy Consultants, India’s quick commerce market could reach US$70–90 billion by FY31, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 41–48%. Monthly transacting users are expected to exceed 100 million, compared with approximately 40–44 million in FY26.

Released on October 7, 2026, the report, titled Think Quick Commerce: Unlocking the $90Bn Opportunity, examines how rapid delivery platforms can expand beyond convenience-based grocery purchases to become an important channel for planned household shopping, consumer products and everyday retail.

Quick Commerce Could Capture 5% of India’s Retail Market

India’s quick commerce industry has grown rapidly from an estimated US$400 million in FY2021–22 to approximately US$13 billion in FY2025–26. The report projects that the sector could account for 4–5% of India’s overall retail market by FY31, compared with approximately 1% currently.

Quick commerce platforms have traditionally attracted customers through rapid delivery of groceries, snacks and household essentials. Their operating model relies on strategically located fulfilment centres, commonly known as dark stores, which hold inventory close to residential neighbourhoods.

As consumer adoption increases, these platforms are expanding into higher-value purchases and broader product categories. Their future growth will depend not only on delivery speed but also on competitive pricing, product availability, quality assurance and reliable customer service.

The Google–Redseer study identifies two distinct growth opportunities: increasing household spending through quick commerce in metropolitan markets and attracting new customers across smaller Indian cities.

Metropolitan Cities Expected to Drive 60% of Additional Growth

India’s metropolitan markets are expected to contribute approximately 60% of incremental quick commerce gross merchandise value (GMV) through FY31.

The report estimates that quick commerce currently accounts for around 6% of retail spending in metropolitan areas. This share could increase to 20–23% by FY31 as consumers shift more of their regular household purchases to rapid delivery platforms.

A major opportunity lies in planned grocery shopping. Many households currently depend on supermarkets and neighbourhood stores for larger monthly purchases, typically involving spending of ₹3,000–4,000.

Quick commerce platforms have largely served smaller, immediate requirements such as replenishing milk, vegetables, snacks and other essential products.

To capture larger household purchases, platforms will need to offer more extensive product selections, competitive prices, dependable freshness and consistent availability.

This transition could position quick commerce as a regular household shopping channel rather than a service used primarily for urgent purchases.

Non-Grocery Products Could Become a US$27 Billion Market

One of the most significant opportunities identified in the report is the expansion of quick commerce beyond groceries.

Non-grocery categories, including beauty products, personal care, household goods and electronics, are projected to grow from approximately US$3 billion in FY26 to US$21–27 billion by FY31.

This expansion could substantially change the role of quick commerce platforms in India’s retail industry.

Consumers increasingly expect rapid access to products beyond daily essentials. However, purchasing electronics, beauty products and other higher-value goods involves different considerations from ordering groceries.

Product authenticity, warranty support, replacement policies and detailed product information become more important as the value and complexity of purchases increase.

The report emphasises the need for wider product assortments, improved product discovery and stronger consumer assurances.

For Indian manufacturers and consumer brands, this development could create another distribution channel, allowing products to reach customers through local fulfilment networks without relying exclusively on conventional retail outlets.

Smaller Indian Cities Could Add 60 Million Monthly Customers

Expansion beyond metropolitan areas represents the second major opportunity for India’s quick commerce industry.

According to the Google–Redseer study, more than 300 non-metro cities collectively represent an addressable market of approximately 180–200 million online shoppers.

However, only around 12–16 million consumers in these markets currently transact through quick commerce platforms each month.

The report projects that monthly transacting users outside metropolitan areas could reach 55–60 million by FY31, reflecting substantial potential for customer acquisition.

Consumer awareness is already relatively high. More than 95% of surveyed non-users in these markets were familiar with quick commerce services, indicating that limited awareness is not the principal barrier to adoption.

Instead, smaller shopping baskets, concerns about product freshness and uncertainty over reliability remain important obstacles.

Platforms entering these markets will need to adapt their product offerings, pricing and fulfilment operations to local purchasing patterns.

Regional-language support, improved freshness assurances and stronger relationships with local communities could help encourage regular usage.

Delivery Economics Will Determine Expansion Beyond Metros

While smaller cities offer substantial growth potential, their operating conditions differ considerably from those of metropolitan markets.

Quick commerce depends on maintaining sufficient order volumes within relatively compact delivery areas. High customer density allows fulfilment centres and delivery networks to serve more orders efficiently.

In smaller cities, lower order frequency and smaller average purchases can make it more difficult to recover inventory, warehousing and delivery costs.

The report identifies demand pooling and delivery incentives as possible approaches to improving these economics.

Demand pooling involves consolidating customer requirements to make fulfilment operations more efficient, while carefully designed incentives can encourage customers to increase purchase frequency or order value.

Platforms must also determine which products to stock locally, balancing consumer choice against the cost of maintaining inventory.

Successful expansion will therefore depend on adapting business models to local demand rather than simply replicating metropolitan delivery networks.

Festive Shopping Expected to Accelerate Quick Commerce Growth

India’s festive shopping season is expected to provide another important opportunity for quick commerce platforms.

The report projects that quick commerce sales could increase by approximately 110% year-on-year during the 2026 festive season.

The sector is also expected to account for around 18% of total online festive shopping expenditure, reflecting its growing presence within India’s e-commerce ecosystem.

Festive demand extends beyond groceries to gifts, personal care products, household items, electronics and other consumer goods.

Rapid delivery can offer an advantage for last-minute purchases, particularly in densely populated urban markets.

However, higher order volumes also place greater pressure on inventory planning, fulfilment infrastructure and delivery operations.

The ability to maintain product availability and service reliability during periods of concentrated demand will be important for platforms seeking to convert occasional festive customers into regular users.

Indian Brands and Manufacturers Gain New Retail Opportunities

The expansion of quick commerce is creating additional opportunities for consumer brands, manufacturers and digital-first businesses.

Unlike traditional retail channels, where shelf space is limited by physical store dimensions, quick commerce platforms can adjust local inventories based on neighbourhood demand and purchasing behaviour.

This allows brands to identify products that perform well in specific markets and tailor distribution accordingly.

Digital product discovery also provides opportunities for emerging Indian brands to compete for customer attention alongside established manufacturers.

The Google–Redseer report highlights the growing role of commerce media networks, which use retailer data to connect advertising activity with consumer purchasing patterns.

Such systems can help brands understand customer preferences and evaluate the performance of marketing campaigns.

For manufacturers, effective participation in quick commerce will increasingly require coordination between production planning, packaging, inventory management and local distribution.

These changes could encourage closer integration between India’s consumer goods industry and technology-enabled retail networks.

Quick Commerce Expansion Could Strengthen Local Supply Chains

The projected growth of quick commerce has implications beyond online retail platforms.

An expanding network of fulfilment centres requires inventory management systems, cold-chain facilities, packaging materials, warehousing technologies and delivery infrastructure.

Greater demand for local fulfilment could create commercial opportunities for logistics providers, technology companies and businesses offering supply-chain services.

Digital inventory systems and demand forecasting tools will become increasingly important as platforms manage larger product assortments across multiple cities.

Artificial intelligence and data analytics can support these operations by identifying purchasing patterns, anticipating demand and improving stock allocation.

At the same time, expanding fulfilment networks will require attention to operating efficiency, delivery-worker conditions, road safety and environmental sustainability.

The development of efficient logistics systems will be particularly important as quick commerce moves from a convenience-focused service towards a larger share of household retail expenditure.

India’s Retail Market Enters a New Phase of Digital Transformation

The Google–Redseer report indicates that India’s quick commerce industry is entering a more complex phase of development.

Its initial expansion was driven largely by consumers seeking convenient access to everyday essentials. The next stage will require platforms to capture planned purchases, build stronger consumer trust and adapt their services to a much wider geographical market.

The projected rise to more than 100 million monthly transacting users demonstrates the potential scale of this transformation. However, the US$70–90 billion market estimate remains a forecast based on expected consumer adoption and industry growth.

For India’s retail economy, the development represents an important convergence of digital platforms, consumer brands, logistics infrastructure and local commerce.

As quick commerce platforms expand their product offerings and reach more Indian cities, they are helping create a retail ecosystem in which digital discovery, local inventory and rapid fulfilment operate together. This evolution offers new opportunities for Indian businesses and technology providers while strengthening the country’s rapidly developing digital economy.


References

  1. Redseer Strategy Consultants and Google, October 7, 2026. Think Quick Commerce: Unlocking the $90Bn Opportunity.
    https://redseer.com/reports/think-quick-commerce-unlocking-the-90bn-opportunity/
  2. India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), October 8, 2026. India’s Quick Commerce Market Poised for Seven-Fold Growth to US$90 Billion by FY31: Report.
    https://www.ibef.org/news/india-s-quick-commerce-market-poised-for-seven-fold-growth-to-us-90-billion-by-fy31-report