The urban, young, and educated Indian demographic is tech-savvy and is more inclined to get food delivered to the doorstep and avoid the hassle of going to a restaurant. Underlining this trend, 64% of respondents in a recent GlobalData consumer survey stated that they choose food delivery at least once a week*. With its hyperlocal and rapid deliveries, quick commerce (q-commerce) has entrenched itself in consumers’ minds and is set to make a mark in the food delivery space in India, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.
Neralla Rama Ravi Teja, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Factors such as busy lifestyles, longer travel times due to traffic, convenience of food delivery, and the desire to avoid heat, pollution, and large crowds have contributed to the growth of the q-commerce trend. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified consumers’ tendency to order food online. However, given the increasing traffic and the wide selection of foodservice outlets, food delivery times are increasing.
“To address this issue, players like Zomato started a quick delivery model for select foods in the past, but with a limited menu. To fill in the need for quicker food deliveries, Swish, a Bengaluru-based company, unveiled a new food delivery platform that aims to bring the agility and rapid turnaround times of q-commerce to the food delivery space.”
Francis Gabriel Godad, Consumer Business Development Manager, GlobalData India, adds: “The Indian food delivery space is highly competitive, with Swiggy and Zomato dominating consumers’ minds. These established players have strong partnerships with restaurants and cloud kitchens and attract consumers with regular discounts and promotions. To carve out a space for itself in this competitive landscape, Swish needed a radical proposition. It expects its 10-minute delivery to help it rapidly penetrate the Indian market.
“Swish draws inspiration from the growing consumer acceptance of q-commerce providers, such as Blinkit and Zepto, with a similar proposition of grocery delivery within a few minutes. In June 2024, Zepto announced raising a funding of $665 million, which underscored investors’ belief in the company’s value proposition and the consumers’ affinity for q-commerce.”
Teja continues: “Indian consumers seek high value for their money and are on the constant lookout for options that offer the best value. Swish aims to differentiate itself by offering value in terms of time, as modern-day young consumers are willing to spend extra money to save time. The company is presently operational in Bengaluru and plans to expand to other urban agglomerations.”
Godad concludes: “Cooked food needs preparation time to meet individual consumer preferences. The preparation of some items can start from scratch only after receiving an order. Q-commerce delivery may struggle to address consumers’ concerns over the quality of food that is made and delivered within 10 minutes. Some consumers are skeptical about restaurants using stale, pre-cooked food items, and not following proper procedures. In addition, there are concerns over the safety of delivery personnel, who may resort to rash driving to deliver food quickly, resulting in accidents and threatening their lives.”
