Quick commerce companies now make up 40-50% of all e-commerce sales of FMCG firms and they pose an existential threat to both neighbourhood kirana stores as well as big e-comm players. Here’s what makes them tick.
Among the retailers who have initiated or are considering the switch, PhonePe emerges as the preferred choice for 50 percent of respondents, followed by Google Pay at 30 percent, and BharatPe at 10 percent.
India s neighborhood grocery stores, numbering around 12 million, experienced a slowdown in sales in the last quarter of 2023, while quick-commerce firms gained market share. Companies like Marico, Dabur, and Parle noted challenges in profitability and liquidity for traditional kirana stores. Quick-commerce platforms like Swiggy Instamart and Zomato-owned Blinkit have contributed significantly to FMCG sales, accounting for 30-50% of e-commerce sales for these companies.
General trade remains the mainstay of FMCG sales in India, despite the surge in ecommerce in the past three years since the outbreak of Covid-19 and high growth of modern trade led by retail chains such as Reliance Retail and D Mart.
General trade remains the mainstay of FMCG sales in India, despite the surge in ecommerce in the past three years since the outbreak of Covid-19 and high growth of modern trade led by retail chains such as Reliance Retail and D’Mart.