10-Minute Delivery: Three In Four Quick Commerce Users Support Restriction

India’s ultra-fast delivery is facing its first real consumer-led reality check. A new nationwide survey by LocalCircles shows that 74% of quick commerce users support the Union government's move to restrict the advertising of fixed '10-minute' delivery promises, underlining growing discomfort with the human and safety costs of extreme speed.

The findings come amid heightened scrutiny from the Union Labour Ministry, which has urged quick commerce platforms to stop marketing rigid delivery timelines that could pressure riders and compromise road safety.

Of the 49,130 respondents who weighed in on whether the government was right to ask platforms to drop the 10-minute promise, nearly three in four said yes. Only 17% opposed the move, while the rest were undecided.

The support reflects a growing awareness among users that convenience may be coming at too high a cost. Many respondents cited concerns around reckless riding, unsafe roads, and delivery partners being forced to race against the clock to meet marketing-led timelines.

Perhaps, the most striking insight from the survey is that speed itself is no longer universally desirable. When asked whether they wanted products delivered within 10 minutes at all, 38% of quick commerce consumers said they did not want anything delivered that fast.

This suggests a clear shift from the early days of quick commerce, whenever-shorter delivery times were seen as a competitive advantage. For a significant share of users today, waiting a little longer is preferable.

Among the 62% of respondents who were still open to ultra-fast delivery, preferences were sharply focused on necessity rather than convenience. A full 100% of this group said 10-minute delivery mattered for medicines, making it the single most critical use case for speed.

Essentials such as groceries came a distant second at 55%, while discretionary items lagged far behind at 25%.

The survey underscores a broader recalibration underway in India’s quick commerce ecosystem. While the government’s advisory does not ban fast delivery, it does signal a shift away from rigid, headline-grabbing timelines toward more sustainable practices.