Quick Commerce Still A Rs 200-Rs 999 Habit, Only 16% Spend Rs 1,000: Survey

Quick commerce may be growing fast, but the bills are still small. A new LocalCircles survey shows that most Indians use these apps for modest orders, not big-ticket shopping.

About 69 per cent of users typically order between Rs 200 and Rs 999. Within that, 27 per cent spend Rs 400-Rs 599. Another 22 per cent spend Rs 600-Rs 999, and 20 per cent spend Rs 200-Rs 399.

Only 16 per cent place orders of Rs 1,000 or more. That includes 9 per cent at Rs 1,000-Rs 1,499 and 7 per cent at Rs 1,500 or above. Another 7 per cent spend less than Rs 200 per order, and 10 per cent could not say.

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As per the survey, Blinkit reported an average order value of Rs 518 in April-June. Amazon Now says its average is about Rs 575. Swiggy Instamart reported Rs 708 for July-September.

Small Baskets, Bigger Pinch

Small orders have a catch. Delivery, handling and small-cart fees hit them hardest. About 27 per cent of users spend less than Rs 400 per order, and they feel those fees the most.

The survey shows how widespread the irritation is. About 60 per cent of users say extra charges often push the final bill higher than expected. That includes 42 per cent who say it happens "very often". Just 26 per cent say it rarely or never happens.

No surprise, then, that 43 per cent want platforms that charge little or no extra fees this festive season.

The festive mood is not about speed either. With Diwali on November 8, 71 per cent of users say best price or overall value will decide where they order. Another 65 per cent pick product quality. Only 22 per cent cite fast delivery, the lowest of all factors.

The report says platforms may see larger baskets as they add gifting, beauty and electronics. For now, the Rs 1,000 mark is a line most users don't cross.

Multiple Players, Multiple Preferences

The survey also asked which platforms people actually use. Blinkit leads everyday shopping at 31 per cent. Amazon Now follows at 25%. BigBasket is at 12 per cent, while Flipkart Minutes and Zepto are at 11 per cent each. Swiggy Instamart gets 3 per cent and JioMart Quick 1 per cent.

Festive preferences look different. Amazon Now leads last-minute festive shopping at 22 per cent, followed by Blinkit at 19 per cent. Zepto is at 14 per cent, BigBasket 12 per cent, Swiggy Instamart 9 per cent, Flipkart Minutes 8 per cent and JioMart Quick 4 per cent. 

LocalCircles also ran a ratings exercise. Users scored seven platforms out of 5 on selection, quality, value, customer service, transparency of charges, product exclusivity and speed. The maximum total was 35.

Sachin Taparia, Founder of LocalCircles, said the ratings were built to help people choose. "We at LocalCircles have been receiving requests from quick commerce users over 2 years to create a ready reference framework that they can use to decide their platform of choice as for some consumers value and no hidden charges are important while for some others, it is quality, selection & speed," he told NDTV.

The study drew over 204,000 responses from users across 130 districts. The ratings exercise had 11,275 ratings from 100 districts, with at least 1,000 for each platform. Of the respondents, 63 per cent were men and 37 per cent were women.