Quick commerce expands beyond groceries into apparel, personal care and niche categories

New categories and vertical focus

Quick commerce platforms in India are moving beyond their traditional categories of food, groceries, and personal care, according to a panel discussion at Inc42’s D2C & Retail Summit. Archana Jahagirdar, founder and managing partner at Rukam Capital, stated that the model is now extending into apparel, innerwear, traditional wear, and other consumer categories.

Unlike horizontal platforms that stock a wide range of products, some quick commerce brands are adopting a vertical approach, focusing on depth and specialized inventory in niche segments like pharma, health, and beauty.

Shift in consumer expectations

Manu Chandra, founder and managing partner of Sauce.vc, noted that consumer expectations around delivery speed have shifted significantly. What was once considered convenient—three-day delivery from e-commerce platforms—is now seen as slow, with consumers expecting near-instant gratification.

This behavioral change is influencing purchasing decisions beyond impulse buys. Products like apparel and traditional wear, typically consumed at home, are increasingly being sold through quick commerce platforms.

Opportunities for emerging brands

The expansion of quick commerce is creating a new distribution channel for younger and emerging brands. Unlike traditional retail, where established players leverage scale and relationships to control access, quick commerce allows these brands to compete on product quality, brand strength, and fulfillment efficiency.

The panel also noted that quick commerce can offer advantages over traditional and modern trade, such as clearer inventory visibility and faster payments. While traditional trade often involves receivables stretching to 150-180 days, quick commerce platforms may settle payments within 15 days, potentially improving cash flow for scaled brands.

Investor perspectives on sustainability

Investors are shifting their focus from whether brands should use quick commerce to whether their growth on the channel is economically sustainable. The panel, which included representatives from Sauce.vc, V3 Ventures, and Fireside Ventures, emphasized that profitability, improving margins, and customer loyalty—not just growth driven by discounts—are becoming key considerations.

The discussion also highlighted changing dynamics in customer acquisition. While D2C channels were once preferred for direct customer ownership, rising costs are making marketplace-led growth more attractive, as it can offer stronger unit economics.

What this means

Lazyfounder analysis — our interpretation, not reported fact.

Quick commerce’s expansion into new categories signals a structural shift in how consumer brands distribute and sell in India. For founders, this means evaluating whether quick commerce is a viable channel not just for convenience-driven purchases but for broader product lines—especially if speed and immediacy can become differentiators. The faster payment cycles and inventory visibility could also make this route more attractive than traditional retail for cash-strapped startups, provided they can maintain profitability without relying on discounts. For investors, the focus on sustainable economics over aggressive growth suggests that brands leveraging quick commerce will need to demonstrate not just scale but also customer retention and margin improvement.