For D2C brands, access to quick commerce platforms and achieving visibility in marketplaces come at a steep price
Powered by dark stores, last-mile teams and cutting-edge technologies, Zippee enables rapid delivery for brands via their own channels
The logistics startup claims it has reduced RTOs by 81% and driven COD order fulfilment rates up to 92% for partners like Clinikally
When quick commerce became all the rage at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, no one was convinced that the 10-minute grocery delivery format would be sustainable. After all, Amazon was already going deeper into same-day and next-day delivery and Walmart-owned Flipkart was attempting to follow suit.“Over a lakh of India’s brands face a myriad of obstacles when partnering with quick commerce platforms: Category limitations, opaque listing process, unsupportive category managers, hefty platform commissions and reduced visibility against category leaders are just some of them. With limited resources and brand recognition, breaking through a fiercely competitive market is an uphill battle,” he added.“While speed is vital to building customer trust and loyalty, quick commerce players often restrict brands to just 2-5 SKUs, a significantly narrower assortment-mix than traditional online marketplaces. Hence, the appeal of 10-minute delivery may not always outweigh the broader category selection & SKU offered by marketplace giants & brands, who’re rolling out rapid deliveries as well,” said Kasturia.“Today, we don’t hear brands asking: Why same-day delivery?” said Kasturia. “All they want to know is how fast we can do it. This is the biggest mindset shift we have observed across the industry.”
But as new players like Zepto and Blinkit rewire customer expectations and set industry standards, convenience has emerged as a core component for driving success across Indian retail, the world’s third-largest market after China and the US.