Is the 10-minute promise a sustainable strategy for brands?

It’s 9 PM on a Tuesday. You’re about to settle in for the night when you realise you’re out of your favourite ice cream. A decade ago, this meant a resigned sigh and a trip to a shuttered local store. Five years ago, it meant waiting until tomorrow. Today, it means tapping a few buttons on your phone. Ten minutes later, a tub of frozen delight is at your door. This isn't a scene from a futuristic movie; it's the mundane magic of quick commerce, a phenomenon that has rewritten the rules of urban consumption in India.

The numbers tell a staggering story. India's quick commerce market, a fledgling concept just a few years ago, is projected to surge to nearly $5.5 billion by 2025. Platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart have become household names, their delivery riders a ubiquitous sight on city streets. They have sold consumers a simple, intoxicating promise: whatever you want, almost whenever you want it, delivered at lightning speed.

For brands, this new channel emerged like a digital gold rush—a direct, hyper-fast lane into consumers' homes, bypassing the traditional hurdles of retail distribution. It was a frontier for impulse buys, last-minute needs, and tactical promotions. But as the initial frenzy settles and the novelty of a 10-minute delivery becomes an everyday expectation, the marketing world is asking tougher questions. Is this high-speed, cash-burning model a sustainable partner for long-term brand building? Or is it a transactional treadmill that prioritises conversion over connection?

As quick commerce matures from a disruptive upstart to an established part of the retail landscape, brands must look beyond the stopwatch. They need to understand the nuances of this model, its implications for brand equity, and how to strategically navigate a channel that is as fast as it is fickle. Is it a fleeting affair or a marriage of convenience? Industry experts unpack whether quick commerce is a durable asset or a dangerous liaison for brands.

When speed was the superstar

The initial allure of quick commerce was undeniably its velocity. For brands, it wasn't just about selling products; it was about capturing a specific consumer moment—the sudden craving, the forgotten ingredient, the urgent need. This promise of instant gratification created a powerful new lever for sales.

But is speed alone still a compelling enough reason for brands to invest heavily? “For D2C brands, quick commerce remains highly compelling not just for speed but for visibility and access at critical consumer moments,” says Vikas Nowal, CEO at Interspace Communications. He argues that the channel turbocharges growth for emerging players. “It enables impulse trials, fast discovery, and conversion, especially in categories like beauty, wellness and snacking.” He points to the beauty brand Minimalist, whose presence on Q-commerce platforms “significantly accelerated its brand growth by offering instant availability and top-shelf visibility.” For brands without a sprawling offline footprint, Nowal adds, “Q-commerce acts as a digital storefront with real-time reach.”

While the core promise of speed remains potent, the goalposts are shifting. As consumers get accustomed to instant delivery, the 'wow' factor diminishes, and other attributes come to the fore. Megha Marwah, Vice President - Strategy at White Rivers Media, believes that speed is now just the table stakes. “The speed offered by quick commerce remains a point of interest, yet brands are recognising that customer expectations have settled at a higher baseline,” she explains. The real battleground is moving beyond logistics. “The real winners are curating smarter, recommending sharper, and turning transactions into moments. Data is the fuel. Connection is the edge.”

This evolution suggests that while the novelty of speed may be wearing off, its strategic value is cementing. As Nowal puts it, “its role as a strategic, sales-driven channel—particularly for urban-centric and emerging brands—is very much intact.” The door was opened by the promise of ‘quick’, but brands are now discovering that the room inside offers far more sophisticated tools for engagement, from hyper-local curation to data-driven recommendations.

The utility trap

A persistent question plaguing marketers is the perceived limitation of the channel. Many view Q-commerce as a functional utility, a digital version of the neighbourhood kirana store, primarily for essentials like milk, bread, and batteries. This perception raises a critical concern: is Q-commerce forever destined to be a platform for low-consideration, habitual purchases, thereby limiting the types of brands and campaigns that can succeed on it?

Some experts believe so, arguing that its core strength is also its biggest constraint. “Quick commerce will remain utility driven as greater convenience is the need gap they are trying to fill,” states Ruppal W Sharma, Professor of Marketing and Head – Delhi Centre at SPJIMR. She positions it firmly at the end of the marketing funnel. “Quick commerce is aligned towards the action or purchase end of the consumer journey and to some extent it can also build discoverability and trial. I don’t see the need for deeper engagement on Q-commerce.” In her view, brands should look elsewhere for that connection. “There are other platforms/channels which brands can leverage for deeper engagement and relationship building.”

Nowal echoes this sentiment, framing it as a matter of function over feeling. “At this stage, Q-commerce is best viewed as a distribution channel not a brand-building platform,” he asserts. The very design of the apps, prioritising speed and a seamless checkout, works against elaborate brand narratives. “Its strength lies in speed, convenience and impulse-driven conversion, not in-depth consumer engagement or storytelling. The format inherently limits emotional messaging, there’s minimal real estate for narrative and consumer interactions are transactional.”

However, to dismiss it as a mere utility might be short-sighted. The shape of engagement is constantly evolving. “Smart brands are breaking the mold, turning impulse into interaction, and using loyalty as leverage,” counters Marwah. She sees a landscape ripe for innovation. “Quick commerce platforms allow for nimble, data-driven approaches that can unlock creative activations and loyalty initiatives... The growth trajectory suggests plenty of room for bold experimentation.”

Ultimately, a brand’s success on Q-commerce may depend less on the platform and more on the brand’s equity built elsewhere. Nowal offers a simple yet powerful illustration: “If a consumer sees two coffee brands on a Q-commerce app, the decision will likely be based on prior brand familiarity or pricing and not delivery speed.” This underscores a crucial point: Q-commerce is not an island. It is a powerful fulfillment channel that amplifies brand strength created through broader marketing efforts. As Nowal concludes, “The onus of brand-building still lies with broader media investments across TV, OOH, digital, content and influencer campaigns.”

The retail media gold rush

As e-commerce platforms globally morph into advertising powerhouses, Q-commerce players are positioning themselves as the next frontier of retail media. Their proposition is tantalising: hyper-local, contextually relevant ad placements delivered to a consumer with high purchase intent, often just moments before they buy. But does this nascent ad ecosystem have the scale to make a meaningful dent in brand budgets, or is it merely a tactical play for now?

The consensus is that it’s currently more of the latter. “Q-commerce media is currently more tactical than transformational,” says Nowal. He argues that while it excels at driving bottom-of-the-funnel metrics, it lacks the muscle for deeper brand building. “Consumers may buy on Q-commerce, but they still often visit physical stores to touch, feel and validate products especially in high-involvement categories. This means offline retail continues to play a crucial role in last-mile brand-building.” For now, he sees it as a “supporting channel not a primary driver of brand preference or recall.”

Saurabh Parmar, a Fractional CMO, offers a structural perspective, noting that Q-commerce players wear two hats. “The thing about quick commerce is that it functions as both a retailer/marketplace and a publisher. Thus, the growth of its advertising business is linked to the growth of quick commerce itself.” He also points to a significant shift in the user base that could impact its value for advertisers. “It has expanded beyond customers who don’t mind convenience fees and small charges to more price-conscious buyers. This shift means that, for advertisers, it may be a less valuable platform.”

Despite these limitations, the tide is turning. Megha Marwah sees a strategic evolution underway. “Retail media in Q-commerce is becoming the real-time stage for influence. With local triggers and instant analytics, it’s shifting from a tactic to a strategy,” she observes. Brands are moving from cautious experimentation to deliberate allocation. “As measurement and creative options improve, more brands are carving out space for these activations on their annual plans, often integrating them as part of holistic, omnichannel efforts.”

Professor Sharma predicts a clear upward trend in spending, funded by a reallocation of existing digital budgets. However, she offers a critical word of caution for the platforms themselves. “While ads can be an important revenue stream, quick commerce players need to be careful not to compromise consumer experience in pursuit of ad revenues.”

The true potential, according to Parmar, is yet to be unlocked. He envisions a future where Q-commerce leverages its unique data to offer sophisticated, self-serve advertising solutions. “There is massive scope for localised, demographically targeted, and fast advertising. The day quick commerce can deliver this through self-managed platforms for brands like Meta, there will be a significant uptick.” For that to happen, he says, they must evolve their mindset: “Quick commerce, on its part, needs to stop focusing so much on sales and partnership teams and start thinking of itself more seriously as a publisher.”

Navigating the long haul

The most significant shadow looming over quick commerce is its economic model. The industry's growth has been fueled by venture capital, with platforms burning cash to subsidise deliveries and acquire customers. This has led to persistent questions about long-term viability and the inevitable risk of consolidation. Does this uncertainty make marketers wary of committing to long-term partnerships?

“The risk of consolidation is real but that may not be a deterrent to building long-term partnerships,” says Professor Sharma, pointing to the flexibility of these arrangements. “These partnerships do not need heavy investments or lock-in periods and marketing spends can be quickly pivoted in response to emerging trends.”

Marketers, while watchful, are not pulling back. “There’s caution, but not retreat,” says Marwah, capturing the prevailing mood. The focus is on prudent partnership. “The math must make sense, but marketers are watching more than margins. They want platform stability. They want data honesty.” The investment continues where the data proves its worth. Nowal shares this optimism, believing major players are in it for the long haul. “Consolidation may happen eventually but given India’s vast population and evolving consumption patterns, there’s still immense headroom for growth,” he notes, highlighting expansion into Tier I and II cities as a key driver.

This brings us to the ultimate strategic challenge: in a channel obsessed with speed, how can brands build lasting connections? Is the constant chase for ‘quicker’ eroding the moments needed for storytelling and brand building?

The experts suggest it’s not an either/or dilemma but a question of strategic balance. For Nowal and Sharma, the distinction is clear: Q-commerce is a service, a fulfillment channel whose job is to close the sale efficiently. The emotional heavy lifting must happen elsewhere. “Brand strategy covers multiple touch points,” says Sharma. “While quick commerce is more suited for conversions, these channels can help provide insights on consumer behaviour which can be leveraged to make brand storytelling... more effective.”

Marwah, however, argues for a more integrated approach, believing that brands can embed their narrative even within these high-speed environments. The solution lies in designing experiences that transcend the transaction. “Balancing short-term impact with sustained engagement, successful brands craft experiences that retain their narrative identity even in rapid commerce spaces,” she explains. “Attention to packaging, loyalty touchpoints and platform-exclusive storytelling helps ensure customer relationships do not become solely transactional.”

The sustainability of quick commerce for brands isn’t about the speed of the delivery bike, but the intelligence of the marketing strategy. The brands that will thrive are not those who simply chase the 10-minute delivery, but those who understand its place in the broader consumer journey. As Megha Marwah concludes, “The smart ones don’t choose between fast and meaningful. They demand both.”