What makes Bengaluru the hub for QComm experimentation?

Bengaluru, also known as the Silicon Valley of India, thrives on innovation and speed. The IT boom in the city has transformed its skyline with towering offices, co-working spaces and enormous tech parks. It has also led to a shift in the social fabric of the city, with more and more individuals living away from their families while climbing up corporate ladders. One-room kitchen flats are snapped up in no time, and delivery executives on two-wheelers are always zipping through traffic to deliver everything from groceries to gadgets in minutes.

The city’s reliance on quick commerce stems from a growing demand for convenience — the anti-dote to high-pressure jobs and unending traffic woes. The success of quick commerce giants like Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, Blinkit, Flipkart Minutes, Amazon Fresh, Dunzo Daily, BigBasket Now and JioMart reflects the city’s entrepreneurial spirit and the commercial value in catering to the needs of busy professionals, may it be remote workers or those working odd shift hours, who value convenience.

Quick commerce has been so successful in the city that it’s no longer about groceries and smaller purchases. Bengaluru residents have been quick to welcome the option of making high-ticket purchases via such platforms. The list includes laptops, televisions and even high-end gaming consoles. Consumer durables, fitness and fashion bigwigs like Sony, Philips, Borosil, Decathlon, Jockey and Manyavar have been quick to cash in on the growing demand.

Within minutes, one can order everything from an electric barbeque grill to vegetables and meat for a dinner party. The same order can also include cookware for other dishes and premium serveware sets to complement the elaborate meal. Not to forget - occasion-specific clothing and footwear to help with the vibe and cleaning products for after the party - garbage bags and a vacuum cleaner can be added to the cart!

Every quick commerce player that started in Bengaluru has had a unique growth graph. Dunzo Daily started as a WhatsApp service in 2015, for city residents to outsource their shopping chores and to get things delivered from one part of the city to another. It eventually transitioned into a hyperlocal, app-based service in 2021. The company has since then been offering 19-minute deliveries, serviced by dark stores across the city.

In 2020, delivery executives from Swiggy Instamart joined the city’s lanes, delivering groceries in 30-45 minutes. Over the next few years, the company grew its dark stores and improved its technology and logistics, to bring the delivery time down to 10-15 minutes. In a 2022 blog, the company said, “Instamart’s users are those who are time-pressed and/or convenience-seeking.”

“While we initially believed that this meant the younger demographic of under 35, the last 22 months have seen users across all demographics. People who cannot head to a supermarket or a kirana store due to time constraints, work, family or health commitments or simply those who want to use that time to relax and unwind. On-demand purchases are also bringing about a reduction in hoarding and wastage as people are only buying what they need,” the blog read.

BB Now, by Big Basket was also launched in 2021 in Bengaluru with just 2 dark stores. Even as quick commerce rose, Big Basket continued to offer its Super Saver slotted services. In 2024, the company announced a significant shift towards quick commerce, making 10-minute deliveries the default option on its app.

Bengaluru’s pull has been such that Zepto relocated its headquarters to the city from Mumbai in 2024. Welcoming the decision, Karnataka IT Minister Priyank Kharge posted on X: “Unicorn quick commerce startup @ZeptoNow is relocating from Mumbai to Bengaluru. This move emphasizes Bengaluru’s status as India’s tech capital and a premier destination for startups.”

“Our city is also the most millennial-friendly in India for education and employment, ranking 18th in the Asia Pacific. With 3,600+ funded tech startups and the highest number of employable female talent, Bengaluru is where innovation thrives,” he added.

Flipkart (Flipkart Minutes), Myntra (M-Now) and Amazon (Tez) have been recent entrants in the city’s ecosystem, flexing their unparalleled product inventory, strong customer base and robust delivery channels. Bengaluru is also one of the cities where PhonePe’s Pincode is reportedly testing its quick commerce services.

“Bengaluru is a gem. A city that not only only embraces innovation but also lets you stumble and learn. Where else would you get a second chance to refine your rollouts?” shares Himanshu Arora, Co-Founder at Social Panga.

In addition to Bengaluru, Arora lists Pune and Gurgaon as the hotspots for early adopters of tech-driven brands because of their unique audience mix - young professionals, often living independently, and who have the disposable income to spend on convenience and value-driven solutions. “While the market can seem saturated at times, it offers an invaluable opportunity for brands to test ideas, validate strategies, and refine their offerings,” he adds.

Quick commerce platforms also allow individuals to send groceries, gifts and other goods to their loved ones in other cities, facilitating deeper connections with quick deliveries. It’s a level up from e-commerce platforms, which offer similar services but with longer delivery times. One can quickly place an order with the desired address on the app while on a call with friends or family members and expect it to be delivered before the call ends.

Arora explains, “In Bangalore, a common trend is individuals living away from their families, which creates unique opportunities for brands offering convenience and familiarity. Services like gifting a rakhi to a sister back home or ordering Diwali décor through quick commerce resonate strongly, as these audiences lack the traditional ‘local market’ or family-owned shops that are common in their hometowns.”

What makes Bengaluru further unique is the city’s openness to experimentation. “It goes beyond having a disposable income. There is a high awareness among consumers here. People in Bengaluru are open to trying new things and share feedback,” says Shashi Kumar, Founder & CEO, Akshayakalpa Organic — a brand that offers 7 am doorstep delivery of dairy products in Bengaluru, along with a strong presence in retail and quick commerce.

When it comes to the sale of dairy products like milk and curd, there is a significant market for subscriptions in Bengaluru, says Kumar. “Milk as a category is driven by habit. We see a 4 to 5% month-on-month increase in direct sales for milk. Curd is also becoming a subscribable product. Subscriptions make up for 80% of our milk sales and 50% of our consumers who have a subscription for milk also subscribe for curd,” he explains.

The brand also has a significant presence in Chennai and Hyderabad, where the brand has access to affluent consumers. However, consumer awareness and experimentation do not come close to what can be seen in Bengaluru. Akshayakalpa Organic launches most of its innovative consumables - new products and flavours - in Bengaluru, where the brand can test consumer interest and gather feedback to improve its products.

Bengaluru is also a great testing ground for hyperlocal quick commerce platforms aiming big. Prominent names operating in select locations in Bengaluru include KiranaPro helping local kirana stores to compete with the big players, Swish delivering food in 10 minutes, and Slikk delivering GenZ fashion items in under 60 minutes. The rising popularity of such businesses speaks of the city’s entrepreneurial spirit — aggressively innovative and solution-focused.