The modern consumer is looking for speed, be it online shopping delivery or takeaway food. The sooner a customer gets their orders, the happier, and more satisfied they are. The need for quick delivery saw a rise in the time of COVID-19. There has been a great shift in consumer behaviour as they expect essential commodities to be delivered in 10-30 minutes. This quick delivery can be termed as ‘Quick Commerce’ which is slightly seeing a rise in the eCommerce market.
With this, it has become quite clear that quick commerce or (q-commerce) is here to stay. Today, if anything takes more than 30 minutes to reach the customer, it is termed to be slow service. With q- commerce, customers want everything to reach them as soon as possible.
What is Q-Commerce?
The term Quick commerce refers to the next generation of eCommerce. This new form of eCommerce is all about speed. With quick commerce, consumers get their order within 30 minutes or an hour after placing it.
This timeline seems to be a short one, but quick commerce is generally meant for small orders. Consumers mostly opt for quick commerce when they run out of a specific product needed for their dinner or lunch. To ensure that these orders reach on time to the consumers, retailers depend upon online ordering systems, warehouses, and delivery agents.
A majority of people think that quick commerce q-commerce is something new, but surprisingly it is not. It has been used in the takeaway food industry for many years. Now eCommerce brands have hopped on the bandwagon of introducing quick delivery. So, it is just a matter of time before which consumers will get their products in lesser time without any delays.
How fast is Q-Commerce actually?
With urbanization taking place, there has been an increase in the number of nuclear households. Due to this, there has been a rise in the demand for small-quantity products rather than large ones at affordable prices.
To get along with the urban population, eCommerce companies are operating warehouses far from the city. They also have opted for centrally located cloud stores. With this, eCommerce companies have the advantage of reaching their customers rapidly and delivering goods from their favourite local stores.
Major Advantages of Q-Commerce
Competitive Edge
Q-commerce offers businesses a new value proposition that makes it stand out from its competitors. Customers who are looking forward to quicker delivery might be ready to try new products and order from new stores.
With q-commerce, companies have the opportunity to compete with large multinational marketplaces, like Amazon, Flipkart, and also the brick-and-mortar stores.
Availability of Relevant Products
With quick or q-commerce, you just don’t get rapid delivery but also relevant products all the time. The reason behind this all-time availability is the introduction of AI technology that monitors demand and adjusts inventory in real-time. With the use of the latest technology software, it is easier to identify demand patterns. Besides this, it also helps companies to ensure that items are supplied as per plan.
Recently, q-commerce companies have also started using mobile technology for tracking couriers. This courier team acts as the face of the brand and provides a high level of service to customers.
24×7 Operations
Dark stores are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. They don’t have any opening or closing time like brick and mortar retailers. Quick commerce is available around the clock and sits well with the smartphone generation.
This facility is on-point for people who are awake at all hours and have smartphones around them to order various stuff.
Ultimate Customer Experience
Once the expectation of customers increases, q-commerce can come to the rescue and help online retailers meet and exceed them. It will increase brand awareness and brand loyalty among the customers.
Q-commerce has succeeded in pointing out and solving the main customer pain points. It can be of great help in times when a customer has run out of food in the middle of a party. It could also help someone who struggles with shopping for the essentials.
In short, q-commerce can reduce the stress of customers and help them avoid any big mishap. Due to this, it has become so popular among the customers that they want to opt for it every time.
Conclusion
Q-commerce is a relatively new term for customers, but it has become quite big in the world of eCommerce. As consumers are always looking for convenient options, it is not wrong to say that q-commerce is going to stay.
We hope this blog on q-commerce will help you understand the topic in detail and apply it to your business. If you have any queries or questions regarding this blog or the topic, please feel free to share them in the comments section.
