India’s quick commerce market hits $7B, new playbook outlines growth strategies

New Delhi: Publicis Commerce India and MMA Global India have released the Quick Commerce Playbook India 2025, designed to provide insights into growth and profitability in India’s rapidly expanding retail channel. 

The launch took place at an MMA event in Mumbai, attended by Anupriya Acharya, CEO of Publicis Groupe South Asia; Lalatendu Das, CEO of Publicis Media South Asia; and Moneka Khurana, Country Head and Board Member of MMA Global India. A panel discussion with industry leaders followed, analysing the report’s findings.

Quick commerce in India has grown from $1.5 billion in 2022 to approximately $7 billion in 2024, expanding more than 4.5 times in just two years. The sector is projected to grow at around 40% CAGR through 2030, outpacing the broader e-retail sector, which is expected to expand at about 18% CAGR. 

Despite this rapid growth, 70% of brands surveyed indicated that quick commerce remains less profitable than other channels, highlighting a growth-profitability challenge.

Key observations from the playbook include how visibility drives sales, with 89% of consumers visiting only one product page before purchase, and the importance of timing, with staples peaking between 6–9am and 6–9pm, and snacks seeing higher engagement in the afternoons and late evenings. 

The report also notes that compressed inventory cycles, typically stocking SKUs for just 3–7 days, require agile supply chains, while partnerships with platforms can improve insights, shelf presence, and adoption of new products.

Looking at festive season trends, MMA Global India’s survey, Unpacking Quick Commerce in the Festive Season, showed speed as the leading driver of Q-commerce at 50%, followed by discounts at 31.6%. 

Weekly big-bang festive deals were seen as most effective for sustained engagement (64.9%), while impulse hampers (57.1%) and premium curated packs (34.3%) dominated gifting growth. Trust in premium and luxury categories reached 72% when backed by guarantees, and gifting (67.6%) alongside FMCG (64.9%) emerged as key festive surge categories. 

On festival days, inventory readiness (64.9%) and real-time agility (45–49%) were highlighted as critical, while 51% of marketers viewed Q-commerce as a high-priority channel, and 44% planned more than 20% budget allocation to it over the next 12–18 months.

Commenting on the playbook, Lalatendu Das said, “Quick Commerce has ingrained itself into consumers’ lives faster than any other retail format. But our survey shows that profitability remains a challenge for most brands. 

This is where the playbook comes in. It provides leaders with key strategies on supply chain reorientation, smarter portfolio management, and retail media optimization. The report makes it clear that success in Quick Commerce is not about deep discounting, but about precision in demand forecasting, visibility, and agility in execution.”

Moneka Khurana added, “Quick Commerce is no longer just about convenience, it’s a $7 billion growth arena where brands are fighting for relevance, loyalty, and market share. With an audience that’s urban and affluent, the opportunity is massive, but readiness is lagging. 

The brands that win are the ones that treat Quick Commerce as a full-funnel growth engine. Hence, at MMA Global India, we are proud to support the launch of this valuable Q-first strategy resource to help marketers advance their ability to create value and drive business impact.”