Quick Commerce: India’s tradition of service, delivered fast

New Delhi: Now imagine this: you're in the middle of making a hearty dal for dinner and suddenly realise you've run out of onions! 

In the past, this would have meant a hurried trip to the local Kirana store or maybe sending someone from the household to fetch them. Today, with the rise of quick commerce in India, those onions can arrive at your doorstep within minutes. This ability to fulfil needs—big or small—at lightning speed has revolutionised daily life for many, making quick commerce a delightful new convenience in urban India. But beyond the obvious functional benefits of speed and efficiency, this trend taps into something far deeper: the values and traditions that have shaped Indian society for generations.

Platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, Big Basket and Dunzo have risen to the occasion, offering rapid delivery of everything from groceries to personal care items, household essentials, and even niche luxury goods. At first glance, the appeal seems simple: convenience at the tap of a finger. But as you dig deeper, quick commerce begins to reveal itself as a digital manifestation of many of India’s long-held cultural values, reflecting the country’s unique social fabric in fascinating ways.

Functional appeal: The magic of instant gratification 

Who could deny the allure of instant gratification? The beauty of quick commerce lies in its ability to bridge the gap between wanting something and getting it without delay. Whether you're a working professional scrambling to prepare a meal after a long day or a parent juggling multiple responsibilities, the ability to order groceries or last-minute essentials with the promise of near-instant delivery is a godsend. It’s almost like having a personal shopper who knows exactly what and when you need it. 

Efficiency is another key driver. These platforms optimise logistics using hyperlocal delivery networks, ensuring that deliveries are made in a fraction of the time it would take for traditional e-commerce models to function. The speed is not just about convenience but also about minimizing effort for consumers. With urban Indians facing time constraints, the ability to outsource a simple task like shopping has become indispensable.

Seva Bhav: A modern expression of selfless service

While the convenience factor is undeniable, there’s something much more culturally resonant at play here—something that tugs at the heartstrings of Indian tradition. 

At its core, quick commerce embodies the age-old Indian ethos of seva bhav, or selfless service. The idea of seva is woven deeply into the fabric of Indian culture. Whether it’s through offering food to guests or extending a helping hand to neighbours, seva is about serving others without expecting anything in return.

Quick commerce, while commercial by nature, mirrors this philosophy in its relentless focus on service. These platforms aim to serve customers in the quickest, most seamless way possible, reflecting the spirit of seva in a digital age. Much like the trusted relationships that existed between neighbourhood shopkeepers and customers in the past—where timely service was a matter of pride—today’s quick commerce platforms promise to serve their customers with speed and reliability.

It’s a comforting thought: in a world that’s becoming more fast-paced and impersonal, technology can still carry forward the spirit of seva, providing service that feels personal, attentive, and rooted in care. 

Aspiring for abundance: Access at your fingertips

India’s journey from scarcity to abundance has been an intriguing one. Not too long ago, many families were used to making do with less, often planning out their grocery lists for the entire week or longer, because access was limited. Today, with platforms like Blinkit and Zepto, the world feels abundant and instantly accessible. Need a specific ingredient for a special dish? It’s just a few taps away. Forgot to buy a birthday gift for someone? Don’t worry, it can be delivered in minutes. This shift from a culture of scarcity to one of abundance is palpable, and quick commerce plays right into it.

This ease of access to products not only fulfills functional needs but also symbolizes something greater—the aspirations of modern India. Quick commerce offers a taste of abundance, where the limitations of time and space are no longer barriers to fulfilling desires. It reflects the growing mindset of “why wait?”—a shift that has rippled across a nation that, for so long, operated with the patience of waiting for things to come, “#SabrKaFalMeethaHota hai”, rather than the expectation that they should arrive now.

Empowering the middle class: A new social fluency

Quick commerce has done something particularly remarkable: it has levelled the playing field for India’s middle class. Once, the ability to access luxury services or get what you want, when you want it, was the privilege of the wealthy. But now, with quick commerce, middle-class families can experience the joy of instant gratification, too.

This shift is more than just about convenience—it’s about empowerment. The middle class, often seen as the backbone of Indian society, can now wield the same consumer power as those in higher income brackets. The ability to order with ease, to access products quickly, and to experience that same seamless service has become a mark of modernity and status. It’s as though the act of ordering from Blinkit or Zepto has become a small way to assert one’s place in the new India—a country that values access, efficiency, and upward mobility.

Jugaad: The spirit of innovation in the digital age

India’s celebrated jugaad mentality—the art of finding quick, creative solutions using whatever is at hand—fits perfectly into the world of quick commerce. There’s something beautifully improvised about the way these platforms function. The ability to deliver products within minutes, to solve everyday problems with speed, reflects the very essence of jugaad. It’s a perfect match between culture and technology: quick commerce offers that “rapid fix” to everyday dilemmas, much in the same way jugaad has provided solutions for generations.

Whether it’s solving the problem of missing ingredients while cooking or meeting last-minute social obligations, quick commerce speaks to India’s age-old expectation that problems, however small, need to be addressed quickly and efficiently. This cultural alignment between jugaad and quick commerce is what makes this model so intuitively appealing to Indian consumers.

Sanksaar of sharing: A modern take on collectivism 

India has long been a collectivist society, with family and community ties deeply influencing decision-making. This sense of community sharing, of pooling resources for the collective good, has always been part of the Indian way of life. Quick commerce taps into this value in unexpected ways. In modern, urban households, these platforms serve as enablers of shared responsibilities—whether it’s the family cook ordering ingredients or a younger family member helping with household errands by placing orders through apps.

In many ways, quick commerce is a reflection of the old ways of sharing resources, updated for the digital age. It allows families to meet their needs effortlessly, keeping the idea of collective responsibility alive while catering to modern, individual preferences.

Gender roles in flux: Sharing domestic responsibilities

Traditionally, grocery shopping and household chores have been the domain of women in Indian households. But the rise of quick commerce is gently reshaping these roles. By making shopping as simple as a few taps on a phone, quick commerce is helping to redistribute domestic responsibilities. Now, anyone in the household—regardless of gender—can contribute to these tasks with ease.

This shift reflects a larger transformation happening in India, where traditional gender roles are becoming more fluid. As more women step into the workforce and household structures become more egalitarian, the convenience of quick commerce allows for a more balanced distribution of domestic chores.

Intergenerational influence: Modernising family dynamics

In Indian culture, the influence of the younger generation on the older is a powerful force, particularly when it comes to adopting new technologies. Quick commerce is a perfect example of this dynamic at play. While older generations might still prefer visiting local markets, younger family members are introducing them to the wonders of quick commerce, gently nudging them toward embracing the convenience of digital shopping.

It’s a heartwarming sight to see: the tech-savvy younger generation helping their elders navigate this new world of instant delivery, modernizing family dynamics while keeping the bonds of tradition strong. 

The future of shopping in India: A new chapter in an old story

The success of quick commerce is yet another example of the “Thali” as the underlying mental model or framework for success in India.  Quick Commerce offers a “Thali” of values, old ones made contemporary in their expression and new ones made possible through technology.  The “thali” of Quick Commerce Values comprises seva bhav, sanskaar of sharing and jugaad as well as progressive values of gender equality, inter-generational change,  aspiring for abundance and instant gratification.