The 10-minute delivery myth: How speed became quick-commerce’s biggest risk

India’s quick commerce industry on Tuesday saw a significant government intervention following protests by delivery partners demanding fair pay, insurance coverage and an end to 10-minute delivery mandates.

The Union Ministry of Labour directed quick commerce platforms, including Eternal-owned Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zomato and Flipkart Minutes, not to pressure delivery workers to meet ultra-fast delivery timelines, amid rising concerns over road safety and accidents.

The move comes as industry leaders, marketers and brand strategists warn that the sector’s fixation on speed and scale is increasingly colliding with the lived realities of gig workers—and exposing contradictions in consumer behaviour.

Commenting on the recent strike by delivery workers, Partha Sinha, senior advisor at a global consulting firm and founder of ABLTY Advisory LLP, said the startup ecosystem remains poorly equipped to manage large blue-collar workforces.

“For the first time, startups are dealing with blue-collar workers at scale,” Sinha said. “They don’t have the luxury of quietly updating a LinkedIn profile and moving on. They are exposed to rain, heat and traffic—and when something goes wrong, they raise their voice.”

Sinha argued that unless frontline gig workers are integrated into the brand narrative as stakeholders rather than invisible enablers, such conflicts will continue to surface. “A gig worker standing on the road telling his story will always travel faster on the internet than a founder interview,” he said, adding that brands can no longer dismiss these episodes as isolated incidents.

He also questioned the industry’s romanticised delivery promises. “Nobody minds a 15-minute safe delivery over a 10-minute ‘kill-yourself’ delivery,” Sinha said, calling for more responsible narratives that prioritise safety over speed.

Marketing leaders say the disconnect is structural rather than accidental. Arun Iyer, founder of Spring Marketing Capital, said quick commerce platforms scaled far faster than their organisational maturity.

“No one anticipated it reaching this level of scale,” Iyer said. “When you involve companies, consumers and gig workers at this magnitude, it gets messy.”

Iyer pointed to a three-way tension shaping the sector: consumers demand speed but resist paying more; companies face margin pressures; and gig workers seek better pay and working conditions. “Expectations and infrastructure don’t match what’s happening,” he said, adding that the ecosystem now needs deliberate organisation to become sustainable.

Consumer behaviour presents another fault line. While social media often erupts in support of gig workers during controversies—as seen in recent backlash against food delivery platforms—actual purchasing behaviour suggests convenience still trumps concern.

“Reality is, if your order doesn’t arrive by the ninth minute, people get impatient,” Iyer said. “There’s intent on social media, and then there are actions in real life. At this scale, actions matter more.”

Amer Jaleel, founder of Curativity, described the situation as a collision of “immature voices” across consumers, gig workers and startup leadership. He argued that many founders have built large platforms without the grounding of traditional corporate experience, leading to impulsive responses and leadership gaps.

“These founders have great ideas, but that doesn’t automatically translate into mature leadership,” Jaleel said. “When consumers, workers and founders all react emotionally, it creates an ignition point.”

Sinha added that conversations with gig workers often reveal deep distress. “Sometimes, two questions into a conversation and they are almost in tears,” he said, noting that polished app interfaces frequently obscure harsh on-ground realities.

Looking at the sector through a global lens, Vijay Vaidyanathan, founder of The Growth Pundit, said India’s quick commerce boom remains in its adrenaline-driven early phase.

“The eight- or nine-minute delivery thrill built the first phase,” he said. “The next phase has to be about sustainability.”

Vaidyanathan outlined three pillars of sustainability: profitability, worker welfare and environmental impact. Basket sizes must grow beyond impulse purchases for profitability; companies must invest meaningfully in frontline workers; and environmental costs—from emissions to congestion—must be addressed through cleaner logistics.

“We don’t want to build businesses on the back of exploitation,” he said. “This ecosystem has created opportunity, but now it has to mature in a way that benefits everyone.”

As quick commerce firms chase their next phase of growth, the consensus among industry veterans is clear: speed alone can no longer carry the story.