Reports state that the food delivery segment has been experiencing a slower growth rate
Led by surging order volumes and aggressive network expansion, quick commerce firms are ramping up hiring of last-mile delivery workers. Media reports stated that the quick commerce sector has seen around 70 to 80 per cent growth over the last year and now employs around 4,50,000 to 5,00,000 monthly active delivery partners.
On the other hand, the food delivery segment has experienced a slower growth rate. Reports further emphasised that giants in the sector, such as Eternal and Swiggy, are focusing more on the quick commerce units. During the July to September period, Zomato saw an increase of 11 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis as the monthly active delivery partners rose to 5,50,000.
Delivery workers are prioritising high-frequency quick commerce platforms over food delivery, especially in top cities kike Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR. The reports added that the quick commerce ecosystem is witnessing a surge in orders as Blinkit clocked a 140 per cent YoY growth in the second quarter of the current financial year (July to September 2025) and delivered 223 million orders. Instamart also did 101 million deliveries, a growth of 49 per cent, the reports added.
Reports further explained that the 10-minute delivery ecosystem would require around 1.5 million riders by the financial year 2030. With urban buyers becoming more and more familiar with the service, the report noted that the availability of the gig workforce is not going to be a hurdle to the growth of quick commerce.
India’s retail real estate market is also undergoing a structural shift as smaller cities take centre stage in driving new demand. Fresh data from Cushman & Wakefield’s Q3 2025 Retail Market Beat shows a sharp rise in leasing activity across tier 2 and 3 locations, underscoring strong retailer appetite and evolving consumption patterns outside major metros.
