The biggest challenge for quick commerce today is not about growth, but about the financial viability. For instance, Blinkit reported yoy growth of 155% in revenues for the first quarter of FY26 at ₹2,400 crore.  However, it still made operating losses of ₹162 crore. Take the case of Instamart, which has 25% market share, against 52% held by Blinkit. Even Instamart has seen its operating losses surge to ₹896 crore, despite revenues growing in the first quarter of FY26 by 113% to ₹859 crore.  While global PE funds and even sovereign funds have been falling over one another to bankroll quick commerce, it is obviously coming with some very stiff conditions. 

In the last few months, we have seen Blinkit and Instamart quietly increase the prices and the charges payable by the customers. The days of hefty discounts have to come to an end. For now, it has not really mattered. People, at least in the big cities where quick commerce is omnipresent, opt for quick commerce for speed and not for price. So, some price hike is par for the course. Till now, the quick commerce players have managed to sustain their growth despite higher costs, but that may just about get tougher if other players like Amazon and Flipkart also make rapid forays into the quick commerce franchise. That is just about starting! 

That is the million-dollar question. Over the last few years, Amazon has focused more on its traditional ecommerce and its AWS services, which has seen lot of traction amidst the growth in AI. However, quick commerce has been on the radar of Amazon and it has now launched it selectively in major cities at a much lower price point. Amazon globally is huge and its India business itself is in excess of ₹25,000 crore a year. That gives Amazon deep pockets to adopt a loss-leader strategy in quick commerce in India without worrying about pressure from PE funds or sovereign funds. It is also planning to offer prices that would be 15-20% lower than Blinkit and Instamart. 

A player like Amazon has several advantages. It has deep pockets to sustain losses, 10 times as many customers as Blinkit, limited pressure from PE funds, and a much stronger non-urban franchise. In fact, Amazon is already active in the non-urban market that still values price over speed. Will price be the Waterloo for Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart? Not necessarily. For now, the urban market is not so price-sensitive, especially when it comes to quick deliveries. That is the good news. The existing quick commerce players will need a way to deliver fast, without adding too much to price. Above all, they need a clear path to profitability. That is missing!