Thus far, grocery delivery and e-commerce companies had been going down the quick-commerce route with fast deliveries, but vertical-specific e-commerce companies are now walking the same path.
Nykaa has begun offering its cosmetics in 3 hours to users through a new service named Nykaa Now. On Nykaa’s app, Nykaa offers the option of Regular Delivery, which can at times take several days. But it also has the option of Nykaa Now, which delivers within 3 hours in specific pin codes.
This appears to be Nykaa’s foray into the quick commerce space, and has likely been prompted by the entry of other platforms, which have begun offering cosmetics to customers in short periods of time. Blinkit already has a section of cosmetics on its app that it delivers in 10 minutes, and Zepto has been expanding into non-grocery areas. Flipkart too has launched Flipkart Minutes, which is its 10-minute delivery service and delivers everything from groceries to laptops, and Amazon is set to launch its own quick commerce play in the first quarter of next year, which is expected to sell all manner of goods including cosmetics. Big Basket too has pivoted fully to quick commerce, and will likely offering items besides groceries in 10 minutes.
These developments have created the necessity of opening up a fresh new channel for large digital brands. Thus far, these brands were able to set up their websites, where customers could directly buy their products as opposed to buying them from platforms like Flipkart and Amazon. The delivery experience between these two channels was roughly at par, and brands could hope to build their own distribution through their websites. But e-commerce companies are rapidly switching to quick commerce, and if brands wish to provide a similar experience to users through their own platforms, they’ll have to set up quick commerce operations of their own — if they don’t, they could see their own distribution erode, and they’ll end up being extremely dependent on e-commerce platforms for reaching their customers.
And it’s possible that all manner of brands that have their own websites could end up going the quick commerce route. Larger brands will likely set up their stand-alone quick commerce operations, while smaller brands could want to tie up with others to create common dark stores to reach their customers. India’s e-commerce space is being upturned with the advent of quick commerce, and it’s bringing with it all manner of disruption — and opportunities.