With Diwali approaching, quick commerce platforms may be competing on more than just delivery speed. A new survey by LocalCircles shows that consumers are increasingly prioritising value, product quality and transparent pricing while choosing platforms for their festive shopping.
According to the survey, 71% of quick commerce users said they would choose a platform offering the best prices or overall value for festive purchases. Product quality emerged as the second most important consideration, cited by 65% of respondents, while 43% said they preferred platforms that charged little or no additional fees.
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Interestingly, fast delivery, traditionally the biggest selling proposition of quick commerce platforms, was cited by just 22% of users as an important factor.
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The findings suggest that as quick commerce becomes increasingly mainstream, consumers are paying closer attention to the final amount they pay rather than simply how quickly an order reaches their doorstep.
The study, which received more than 204,000 responses from quick commerce users across 130 districts, along with 11,275 platform ratings, also found that 60% of consumers said delivery, handling, small-cart or other charges often or very often pushed their final bills above expectations.
Additional Charges Remain A Key Consumer Irritant
The survey found that 42% of users said additional charges increased their final bills very often, while another 18% said this happened often. Only 26% said such charges rarely or never pushed up their bills.
Quick commerce platforms typically levy delivery fees, handling charges, small-cart fees, late-night charges and platform fees. With minimum order values for free delivery also becoming more common, additional costs are emerging as a key factor influencing consumer choices.
The findings come amid growing regulatory scrutiny of dark patterns in e-commerce. Drip pricing, where additional charges are revealed only at the checkout stage, and basket sneaking are among the practices identified under the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has so far imposed penalties totalling around Rs 1.1 crore on 47 e-commerce platforms, according to the study.
Quick Commerce Remains A Small-Ticket Habit
Despite the expansion of product categories and growing festive demand, quick commerce largely remains a small-ticket purchase channel.
The survey found that 69% of users typically place orders worth Rs 200-999. Around 20% spend Rs 200-399 per order, 27% spend Rs 400-599, and 22% spend Rs 600-999.
Only 16% of consumers typically spend Rs 1,000 or more on a quick commerce order, while 7% spend less than Rs 200.
Company-level data also reflects relatively modest average order values. Blinkit reported a net average order value of Rs 518 in April-June 2026, while Amazon Now reported around Rs 575. Swiggy Instamart's average order value stood at Rs 708 in July-September 2026.
At these order values, even relatively small additional charges can have a noticeable impact on the final bill, particularly for consumers placing smaller orders.
Amazon Now Leads Festive Shopping Preferences, Blinkit Dominates Everyday Usage
Amazon Now emerged as the most preferred quick commerce platform for last-minute festive shopping, with 22% of respondents choosing it.
Blinkit followed with 19%, while Zepto and BigBasket were preferred by 14% and 12% of users, respectively. Swiggy Instamart secured 9% and Flipkart Minutes 8%.
However, the preference pattern changes when it comes to everyday purchases. Blinkit leads, with 31% of users choosing the platform, followed by Amazon Now at 25%. BigBasket accounted for 12%, while Flipkart Minutes and Zepto were at 11% each.
The difference between everyday usage and festive shopping preferences indicates that consumers could be willing to switch platforms depending on product availability, prices and additional charges.
Zepto And Amazon Now Top Consumer Ratings
In the consumer ratings exercise, Zepto and Amazon Now jointly secured the highest overall score of 27.5 out of 35.
Amazon Now scored well on product quality, value and transparency of charges, while Zepto received strong ratings for transparency of charges and delivery speed.
BigBasket secured an overall score of 26 out of 35, leading on product exclusivity with a rating of 4.5 out of 5. It also shared the highest score for product selection with Blinkit.
Blinkit scored 23.5 out of 35 but emerged as the clear leader in delivery speed, receiving a perfect score of 5 out of 5. Flipkart Minutes also scored 23.5, while Swiggy Instamart and JioMart Quick scored 22 and 19.5, respectively.
The survey also highlighted customer service as an area requiring improvement across platforms. No platform scored above 3.5 out of 5 on this parameter.
Quick Commerce Expansion Gathers Pace
The findings come at a time when India's quick commerce sector is witnessing rapid expansion, with established players and new entrants scaling up their operations ahead of the festive season.
Blinkit's net order value rose 79% year-on-year to Rs 20,940 crore in July-September 2026. Swiggy Instamart's gross order value increased 31% to Rs 9,230 crore during the same period.
Amazon Now has crossed $1 billion in annualised gross sales and doubled its reach to more than 120 cities in two weeks. Meanwhile, Flipkart Minutes has expanded fourfold in a year to around 1,200 micro-fulfilment centres across more than 150 cities.
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On the infrastructure front, Eternal added 308 dark stores to Blinkit between July and September, taking its total network to 2,751 stores. The company expects to cross 3,500 dark stores by March 2027.
According to LocalCircles, the findings indicate that quick commerce platforms will increasingly have to compete on value, product quality and transparent pricing rather than relying solely on faster deliveries to attract consumers.
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