Is Quick Commerce Set To Enter Its Most Competitive Phase In 2026?

by · Inc42

SUMMARY

  • 2026 is shaping up as a land-grab year, where dark-store density, delivery reach, and capital intensity will determine long-term leadership in key urban markets
  • Better store productivity, smarter routing, higher-margin non-grocery categories, and private labels will drive growth more than blind city expansion or discount-led acquisition
  • 2026 will see mergers, shutdowns, or acquisitions, while incumbents focus on locking in high-value urban users and increasing order frequency rather than chasing raw GMV
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If 2024 still had a few naysayers believing that the quick commerce wave wouldn’t last, the past 12 months have proven them wrong. It was no longer about whether consumers would adopt quick commerce — they already have, and in a big way.

This pushed platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart to aggressively chase new users and expand rapidly into categories such as pharmaceuticals, while also capitalising on festive demand. Indeed, the year marked several key milestones for the sector.

Beyond the pure-play giants, vertical quick commerce players also gained prominence this year. House-help startup Snabbit saw rising traction, and new players emerged in niche segments such as fashion, babycare, and premium grocery.

Meanwhile, the horizontal quick commerce players secured substantial fresh capital. Zepto raised $400 Mn in a funding round led by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System this October. Swiggy raised about INR 10,000 Cr (around $1.2 Bn) through a qualified institutional placement (QIP) by issuing 26.7 Cr equity shares, with a major portion earmarked for expanding and operating its quick commerce fulfilment network.

The year also saw competition intensifying in the quick commerce space. Smaller players such as Flipkart Minutes, Amazon Fresh and BB Now were seen ramping up their operations. Their rivalry is only set to escalate in 2026.

“Competition will stay aggressive as players expand into new cities, add more dark stores, and push into fresh categories to win more household spending. Right now, there’s virtually no loyalty in this space… consumers keep multiple apps and switch based on availability and discounts, which means the pressure to compete remains high,” said Neil Shah, the cofounder & VP of research at Counterpoint Research.

Moreover, the expert added that in 2026, quick commerce players will focus more on improving store efficiency, optimising delivery routes, and pushing higher-margin categories such as beauty, medicines, and electronics accessories.

Growth will come more from getting current customers to order more often, rather than expanding to new cities. Subscriptions, faster delivery for premium users and private labels will be key levers.

Now, as we bid adieu to 2025, we have zeroed in on key trends that are expected to shape India’s quick commerce landscape in 2026.

2026 For Quick Commerce: Another Year Of Hyper Growth

According to analysts Inc42 spoke with, Blinkit, Instamart, Zepto, and others are expected to add nearly 2,000-2,500 new dark stores next year across top metros, tier I suburbs and high-income micro-markets. In 2026, expanding dark stores and delivery networks will decide who stays ahead.

“2026 is the last window to build a defensible scale. Whoever delays infra capex now will never catch up,” said Lloyd Mathias, an angel investor and a brand strategist.

Besides geographic expansion, the platforms will focus on deeper penetration into the top eight cities, namely Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad, which remain behaviourally aligned markets for 10-20 minute delivery.

“Even though the infrastructure push is capital-intensive, the TAM (total addressable market) justifies the burn,” said Satish Meena, founder of Datum Intelligence.

But, the growth in 2026 won’t come from adding stores in random towns just to show size, an executive at a leading quick commerce player said, adding that the quick commerce players will focus on areas that actually make money, places with higher incomes, strong order demand, available warehouse space, and easy delivery routes.

“So, most new dark stores will open in premium neighbourhoods, IT hubs, and busy commercial zones,” the executive added.

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