The quick commerce market has split in two. In Europe and the US, many 10-minute grocery apps closed or pulled back from 2022. In India, however, Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart keep opening dark stores and growing fast. So the same idea failed in one region and thrived in another. This guide, therefore, uses company reports to explain why, and what brands should track next.

Quick Commerce Market at a Glance

How the Quick Commerce Market Works

Quick commerce means delivering groceries and daily essentials within minutes, usually 10 to 30. To do that, most apps in the quick commerce market run small warehouses called dark stores. These sit close to homes, but they are not open to walk-in shoppers.

Each dark store also stocks thousands of fast-selling products. For example, Flink says its hubs carry roughly 3,000 products each. Riders then collect orders and deliver them within a short radius.

As a result, the model depends on three things. First, each store needs enough orders every day to cover rent and staff. Second, riders need short trips. Finally, baskets must be big enough, or frequent enough, to pay for delivery.

Why the Quick Commerce Market Stalled in Europe and the US

Europe’s quick commerce market peaked during the pandemic. Then funding dried up, and many apps ran short of cash. For instance, Getir bought struggling rival Gorillas in a deal valuing it at $1.2 billion in December 2022.

Yet the cuts continued. In April 2024, Getir said it would leave the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the US to focus on Turkey. According to RetailDetail, those markets made up only 7% of its sales but were heavily loss-making.

Not every player failed, though. Flink, backed by Prosus, says it is now profitable at EBITDA level. It runs about 160 hubs in Germany and the Netherlands. Notably, its average delivery now takes about 30 minutes, not 10, and its average basket tops €45.

Delivery Apps Moved Into Grocery Instead

Meanwhile, big delivery apps added grocery to their existing networks. For example, Uber says its grocery and retail business is reaching $15 billion in annualized gross bookings. Moreover, that business has grown roughly 40% a year for several quarters. DoorDash also reports strong growth in US grocery and retail.

India’s Quick Commerce Market Is Booming

India tells a very different story. In fact, its quick commerce market grew rapidly through 2025 and 2026, led by three apps:

Blinkit also leads on orders. In FY26, it handled about 47% of orders among the top three apps. Zepto handled about 33%, and Instamart about 21%. StartupFeed calculated these shares from order counts in Zepto’s IPO filing.

Big Rivals: Flipkart Minutes, Amazon Now and BB Now

The race is also getting crowded. For instance, Flipkart Minutes and Amazon Now are adding dark stores and cities fast. BigBasket, however, plans to cut back to 40 cities from 76. In fact, Eternal CEO Albinder Dhindsa called the June 2026 quarter the peak of competitive intensity so far.

Why Europe and India Differ

Several broad factors help explain the split:

In short, India’s dense cities give each dark store more daily orders. For example, Blinkit’s stores averaged ₹8.27 lakh of order value per store per day in the June 2026 quarter. By contrast, European apps struggled to fill stores, while supermarkets were already close to most homes.

The Profit Question in the Quick Commerce Market

Growth is strong, but profits remain mixed across the quick commerce market:

• Blinkit: adjusted EBITDA rose to ₹102 crore, or 0.6% of NOV, in the June 2026 quarter. A year earlier, it lost ₹162 crore. It first turned positive in late 2025.
• Swiggy Instamart: adjusted EBITDA was a loss of ₹778 crore, or −9.8% of GOV, in the same quarter.
• Zepto: its net loss widened to ₹5,905 crore in FY26, from ₹4,695 crore a year earlier.
• Flink: profitable at EBITDA level, according to its March 2026 funding announcement.

Above all, heavy discounting explains much of the pressure. Eternal’s management said, “We don’t think this level of discounting is sustainable.” It expects discounts to ease soon. Even so, losses at rivals show that scale alone does not guarantee profit.

What Brands Should Track on Quick Commerce Apps

For FMCG and food brands, the quick commerce market now acts like a digital shelf. So brands need to watch these apps as closely as supermarket aisles. In particular, track these data points:

Moreover, these numbers change by city, pin code and hour. Therefore, manual checks quickly fall behind.

How FoodSpark Helps

FoodSpark collects public product, price, offer, and stock data from Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart and other apps. So brands can compare prices and availability across apps and pin codes. To learn more, see our quick commerce data scraping service and Blinkit API. You can also read our Blinkit vs Zepto vs Instamart price benchmarking guide.

Quick Commerce Market Outlook for 2027

Looking ahead, four trends will shape the quick commerce market in 2027:

1. Less discounting: leaders expect today’s heavy discounts to ease, which should help margins.
2. More dark stores: Blinkit alone added 200 net stores in the June 2026 quarter.
3. Public scrutiny: Zepto paused its IPO in July 2026. Still, its filing put its losses and growth on public record.
4. Delivery apps in grocery: In Europe and the US, Uber and DoorDash keep growing grocery on their existing networks.

Overall, the quick commerce market is not dying. Instead, it is consolidating where the numbers work, and shrinking where they do not.

Quick Commerce Market: FAQs

What is the quick commerce market?

It covers apps that deliver groceries and essentials in about 10 to 30 minutes. Most also use small dark stores near customers.

Why did quick commerce struggle in Europe?

Funding dried up from 2022, and many stores had too few orders. As a result, Getir left the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the US in 2024.

Who leads India’s quick commerce market?

Blinkit leads, followed by Zepto and Swiggy Instamart. Among the three, Blinkit handled about 47% of orders in FY26.

Is quick commerce profitable?

Some players are now. For example, Blinkit’s adjusted EBITDA has been positive since late 2025. Flink also reports EBITDA profit. Others still lose money.

What data can brands get from quick commerce apps?

Brands can track prices, discounts, stock levels, rankings and new listings across the quick commerce market. In addition, they can compare these by app and pin code.

How do I get a free quick commerce data sample?

First, tell us the apps, cities and products you need. Then FoodSpark sends a free 100-row sample in CSV or JSON.