As Q-commerce races beyond groceries into the realm of non-essentials, the industry stands divided on whether these items truly belong in the fast lane…
Bengaluru: Once reserved for late-night snacks and emergency groceries, quick-commerce is now stretching its limits—offering to deliver everything from lipstick to iPhone in under 10 minutes.
Consumers’ tolerance for waiting is shrinking by the minute—much like their attention spans—and brands are seizing the moment. Just as they once flooded e-commerce platforms with every imaginable product, they are now cramming Q-commerce shelves of Zepto, Instamart, Bigbasket, and Blinkit with everything from face masks to fashion fixes, banking on instant gratification to drive impulse buys.
This trend has triggered a notable slump in food, beverage, and confectionery sales across urban hubs, with 52% of brick-and-mortar retailers reporting the dip, according to a study by global consultancy PwC.
Here’s the big question: Do non-essential brands truly need to rush into the Q-commerce bandwagon? Let’s unpack the prospects and pitfalls that arise from the swift surge of non-essentials on Q-commerce platforms.
The Opportunity
- Brand visibility
For digital-first and direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands, fast delivery serves as a competitive edge—a way to stand out in a crowded marketplace and deliver immediacy as part of the brand experience.
Cooling solutions brand Raj Cooling agrees with this. “Being on Q-commerce platforms has significantly boosted our brand’s visibility and allowed us to tap into a broader, more diverse customer base. We have seen a strong uptick in traction and sales, especially for our fast-selling products,” said Managing Director Kalpesh Ramoliya.
Evocus, the black alkaline mineral water brand, straddles the line between essential and indulgent. Over the past year, it has witnessed a fivefold growth spurt—largely fueled by its strategic presence on Q-commerce platforms, which have propelled both visibility and velocity.
“These platforms have allowed us to reach a wider audience in record time — what began as a premium niche offering in just 6 cities has now expanded to 65 cities across India, driven by the instant accessibility and visibility Q-commerce provides,” said Sonam Pama, Head of Marketing at Evocus.
- Market Reach
Unlike traditional retail or even standard e-commerce, Q-commerce platforms offer hyper-local penetration, ensuring that products are available in high-density urban areas where younger, convenience-seeking shoppers dominate.
Dheeraj Bansal, Co-Founder of Recode Studios, a multi-brand beauty retailer, notes that Q-commerce has enabled access to micro markets that were previously hard to reach through traditional e-commerce or offline retail. Since joining the platforms, the brand has seen a significant boost in both reach and sales velocity.
KiranaPro, a Q-commerce platform bridging consumers with local brands and kirana stores, is carving out its niche in tier-2 and tier-3 towns—territories where many other players haven’t yet ventured.
“Q-commerce lets brands not only extend convenience to their existing base but also unlock fresh audiences,” said Deepak Ravindran, Founder & CEO of KiranaPro. “Our goal is to help brands complement their offline presence while amplifying last-mile visibility—particularly in the often-overlooked corners of small-town India.”
- Impulse Buying
Categories like apparel, beauty, and lifestyle thrive on impulse buys—and Q-commerce sweetens the deal for brands by minimising second thoughts. With near-instant delivery, the product often lands at the doorstep before consumers even have a chance to waver, reducing returns and cancellations in the process.
Neha Chawla, E-Commerce Manager at Mars Cosmetics, said that, “Being on Q-commerce platforms has been a game-changer for us. We have seen a significant uptick in impulse purchases, especially for our fast-moving stock-keeping units (SKUs) like lipsticks, eyeliners, and mini kits.
Korean beauty brand Innisfree echoes this sentiment. “Q-commerce has helped us tap into impulse beauty buying, bringing the Innisfree experience closer to the fast-paced lifestyles of Gen Z and millennials. It’s also boosting recall and keeping us top-of-mind for time-sensitive moments like travel, events, and gifting,” said Mini Sood Banerjee, Assistant Director & Head of Marketing, Innisfree India.
- Occasion-Led Demand
The ‘need-it-now’ moments—such as looking for a last-minute gift, fixing a makeup emergency, or replacing a forgotten accessory—are key drivers for non-essential purchases on Q-commerce platforms.
“Whether it’s someone needing a quick glam-up before a party or replacing a last-minute beauty essential, being instantly available builds brand recall and relevance,” said Chawla of Mars Cosmetics. “Plus, the data from Q-commerce helps us understand hyper-local preferences and shop-in-the-moment behavior, which can guide product innovation and personalised marketing.”
The Challenges
- Inventory Complexity
Lifestyle categories are notoriously complex when it comes to inventory. From multiple sizes and colours in apparel to a dizzying range of shades and skin types in cosmetics, the volume of SKUs can be overwhelming. Unlike staple goods, where one item fits all, these products require precision in stocking and fulfillment.
“It might work for high-demand items like iPhones or one-off fashion buys, like a shirt urgently needed for a meeting where design takes a back seat,” said Alok Chawla, Co -Founder of Kiko Live, a platform that facilitates live shopping and Q-commerce for both buyers and sellers.
“Otherwise, buyers today won’t compromise on preference when platforms like Amazon and Myntra already offer fast delivery with vast choices. Urgent needs may exist, but sacrificing variety for speed is a rare trade-off,” added Chawla.
Therefore, brands must strategically determine which products are best suited for Q-commerce. “Unlike traditional retail, we have to predict which SKUs will resonate in a high-speed, high-intent environment, which further demands agile marketing and real-time responsiveness to trends, seasons, and micro-moments,” said Banerjee of Innisfree India.
- Space Constraints & Operational Hurdles
“Expanding to non-essential categories will substantially increase investments in dark stores. Stocking everything in every dark store will obviously not be possible, so the selection will be limited,” said Chawla of Kiko Live.
Moreover, products that are bulkier in nature—like home furnishings and appliances—often require special handling, larger vehicles, and sometimes even installation services—none of which align with the ultra-fast, lightweight logistics model that Q-commerce thrives on.
“One of the biggest challenges we face on Q-commerce platforms is shelf space, as our products are relatively bulkier compared to typical grocery and consumable items. The nature of our assortment also makes it difficult to find consistent appointment slots to inward products,” said Arif Khan, Co-Founder & COO of Frido, a D2C ergonomic products retailer.
The need for larger delivery vehicles to transport only adds to the growing traffic congestion in cities—an issue already exacerbated by the rise of Q-commerce.
- Low Repeat Frequency
Unlike groceries or daily-use FMCG products that have predictable and frequent replenishment cycles, non-essentials items typically see sporadic or event-driven purchases.
A customer might buy a new lipstick or handbag once a month—or even less frequently—depending on need, mood, or disposable income. This makes building consistent repeat traffic on Q-commerce platforms more challenging for these categories.
Zepto’s recent tie-up with Skoda India to offer test drives of the Kylaq SUV sparked buzz, especially after a teaser hinted that the cars might soon be Zepto-delivered. However, for most Indian consumers, cars are rare, high-involvement purchases—typically made once or twice in a lifetime.
Automobiles, white goods, and luxury merchandise aren’t quick buys for Indians; they’re long-term investments where physical experience—touch, aesthetics, and comfort—play a decisive role. These might not benefit from the instant-gratification model that works well for everyday or impulse buys.
Where is this headed?
Q-commerce is undoubtedly here to stay, with projections placing its market volume at $11.08 billion and an estimated 65 million users by 2030, according to Statista.
With heavyweights like Reliance entering the fray—Jiomart is already piloting 10–30 minute deliveries in select cities, leveraging its massive footprint of over 3,000 supermarkets across 1,150 locations—the race is only heating up.
But when it comes to non-essentials, industry sentiment is clearly split. “As consumer behaviour continues to shift toward speed and ease, even non-urgent purchases are increasingly influenced by delivery time. With the right targeting, personalisation, and seasonal strategies, Q-commerce can become a sustainable and scalable channel for sales, not just a passing trend,” stated Ramoliya of Raj Cooling.
On the flip side, Kiko Live’s Alok Chawla remains skeptical. “This feels like a solution chasing a problem that doesn’t exist. A few hundred crores will go up in smoke, and it may not generate sustainable business,” he remarked.
Whether it’s a revolution or a passing retail whim, one thing is clear—everyone is betting on speed, but not all are sure about the direction.
