Quick commerce to hit $1.6 billion in 2025, 12% of online sales: Report
Q-commerce is becoming the first-click discovery channel for festive impulse needs, not just a replenishment engine.
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India’s ecommerce market is entering the festive quarter with renewed momentum, and quick commerce is emerging as the frontline driver of impulse demand. As per Datum's 2025 Festive Outlook report, platforms like Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart have seen their net order values multiply nearly fourfold in just two years, fueled by lifestyle, beauty, small electronics, and ready-to-gift categories. With festive campaigns around the corner, Q-commerce is no longer just a replenishment engine — it is fast becoming the first-click discovery channel for shoppers seeking instant gratification.
The report highlights the following:
Rural households are spending more on non-essentials
– Over time, more rural respondents are saying that their spending on non-essential items (clothing, gadgets, personal care, etc.) has gone up. – It climbed from 44.4% in Sep-23 acto nearly 58% by mid-2025 - a strong 14 percentage point increase.
Fewer households feel spending has decreased
– The percentage of rural respondents saying their spending decreased dropped from 23.7% (Sep-23) to 17.4% (Jul-25).
• Net Positive improved from +20.7 (Sep-23) to +37.2 (Jul-25).
– A growing net-positive indicates that rural India is entering a period of consumption revival - people feel better off and are spending more.
While the trend is positive, growth has flattened a bit after Mar-25
– This could reflect seasonality or wait-and-watch behavior before festive spending begins.
Marketplace UPI Transactions Jump 30% in Volume, 23% in Value MoM
Volume surged to 122 Mn in Jul-25, marking a 30% MoM increase - the highest monthly jump in the 4-month period.
• Value rose to ₹8,053.7 Cr, registering a 22.8% MoM growth, rebounding from the flat trend in June.
• June showed tepid growth. This could indicate a temporary consumer pause, possibly due to seasonal factors or deferral of high-value purchases.
• Overall Q1-FY26 trend is strong Indicates growing trust and reliance on UPI for ecommerce, particularly in high-ticket categories.
- Volume increased by 61% from Apr to Jul (75.8 Mn → 122 Mn). - Value expanded by 56% (₹5,170.5 Cr → ₹8,053.7 Cr)
Credit Card and Debit Card Payment Value on eCommerce YoY Growth
The April-June quarter of 2025 witnessed a clear bounce-back in growth, averaging 15.7% YoY, compared to just 8.4% in 2024, indicating renewed consumer confidence and increased use of cards for online purchases - especially in EMI-driven and high-ticket segments.
• April 2025 saw 18.4% YoY growth, almost doubling from 10.6% in April 2024 and surpassing even 2023 (12.9%).
• 2024 Was a Low Base Year. 2024 saw weakened card growth due to rising UPI dominance, reduced discretionary spending, and inflation-related caution especially in May–June, which recorded 7.4% and 7.1% growth respectively
• With GST cuts expected soon and ecommerce platforms gearing up for early festive rollouts, H2 2025 could accelerate further on top of this solid Q1 base
Muted Q4, Momentum Q1: Signs of E-commerce Recovery in Logistics
FY25 Was Challenging: Three of four quarters in FY25 showed <3% YoY growth, with one negative quarter - highlighting broad-based demand softness across ecommerce logistics.
• Demand Reset in Q4 FY25: Volumes dipped from the festive high of Q3 (206 Mn to 177 Mn), and YoY growth was nearly flat at 0.6% - indicating low discretionary ecommerce activity and seasonality effects post-festive.
• Sharp Rebound in Q1 FY26: Volumes surged to 208 Mn, reaching the highest level in the last 8 quarters. The YoY growth rebounded to 13.7%, breaking the stagnation trend of FY25.
• Direct-to-consumer (D2C) and small-to-medium enterprise (SME) categories registered robust growth of 25% and 37%, respectively-significantly outpacing overall industry volume trends and emerging as strategic growth levers for Delhivery.
Festive Q-Commerce: The New Frontline for Impulse Demand
• From FY24 to Q1FY26, the combined Net Order Value (NOV) of Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart has quadrupled - from ₹34.6 Bn to ₹133.9 Bn.
• Blinkit’s NOV jumped from ₹15.8 Bn in Q1FY24 to ₹92 Bn in Q1FY26 - an almost 6× growth in 2 years.
• The latest MoM growth hit 22.8% in Q1FY26, up from ~13–19% in prior quarters
• Share of lifestyle, personal care, beauty, small electronics, and ready-to-gift SKUs is expected to jump during festive campaigns.
• Q-commerce is becoming the first-click discovery channel for festive impulse needs, not just a replenishment engine
• Quick Commerce Net Order Value (NOV) to grow by ~25% -30% QoQ during the festive quarter
