MAJOR RESEARCH REPORT ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION & LOYALTY IN QUICK COMMERCE

Abstract

India’s quick commerce scene is changing retail fast. In recent times, businesses including Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, and Flipkart Minutes offer groceries and essentials delivered within only 10 to 30 minutes, because of their network of dark stores. Throughout the year 2024, this market surpassed 3 billion US dollars. and experts forecast it is expected to exceed 9 billion US dollars by the year 2028, at an annual growth rate of more than 35%. But here’s the thing: despite all this buzz and rapid expansion, there’s barely any solid research on what keeps customers happy and loyal in Q-commerce. Most people look at it through the lens of traditional e-commerce, huge choices, bargains, and waiting a couple of days for delivery, but Q-commerce is all about speed and immediate convenience. That’s exactly why this study matters. The research used a mix of descriptive and analytical methods. We collected data from 153 people, mostly young urban folks (81% from cities, and nearly 76.5% aged between 18 and 24, the heart of Q-commerce shoppers). Everyone filled out a detailed online questionnaire where they shared their demographics, how often they order, what annoys them, and how loyal they feel, using a 5-point scale. To dig into the numbers, we ran Multiple Regression Analysis and ANOVA to test five big factors: Product Quality, Price, Product Variety, Discounts, and Convenience and how each one affects customer loyalty. This study really cuts through the noise: Convenience is the only thing that reliably predicts customer loyalty. To be specific, convenience scored a β of 0.3354 with a p-value of 0.0180. None of the other factors, quality, price, variety, or discounts, even came close. Their p-values were way off (price at 0.7799, quality at 0.6004, variety at 0.2909, discounts at 0.6345). So, it's not about cheap deals or endless catalogues. Customers stick around if the platform makes shopping easy and fast. And honestly, the regression model didn’t explain much just 4.26% of what drives loyalty. Everything else, nearly 95.8%, depends on things like delivery speed, reliable apps, trust in the brand, and after-sales support. If Q-commerce platforms want to grow, these are the areas they need to focus on. Looking at how people actually behave, the numbers back this up. About 78% want their order in half an hour, and more than half 50.7% want it in 10 to 15 minutes. What do iv users value most? Real-time tracking, hands down, with 78.1% saying it's their favourite feature. After that, user-friendly apps (65.6%) and a wide selection (57%) matter, but less so. Blinkit and Zepto are the clear favourites, especially among young shoppers (66% and 56% preference in the 18-25 age group). Q-commerce is changing habits. About half the people shop more often since trying it out, and almost as many switched to buying smaller amounts more frequently. Impulse buys have gone up to nearly 50% admit they buy on a whim because the whole process is just so quick and simple. Sure, that's good for short-term sales, but there’s a risk: if people regret those purchases, loyalty might not last. Meanwhile, traditional kirana stores as well as supermarkets are losing ground. Kiranas previously ruled, but currently only 78% rely on them, while supermarkets have reached 53%. There is a significant transformation in Indian retail. Q-commerce is not only a trend, but it has also started to transform how consumers shop Here’s what managers need to focus on: Q-commerce platforms can’t rely on discounts forever. They need to double down on the customer experience, make the app smoother, always deliver on time, respond quickly when something goes wrong, and show people they can trust your service. Sure, discounts get people through the door. But it’s solid, dependable operations that make them stick around. The real winners are the platforms that treat every order, every tap, every single customer moment like it’s their chance to prove themselves. That’s how you stand out when the competition is this fierce. From a research standpoint, this study goes beyond the old e-commerce playbook. It zooms in on Q-commerce and looks at satisfaction and loyalty through its own lens, focusing on convenience, speed, and reliability, not just price or a big catalogue. That’s a shift you don’t see in most studies. There’s still more ground to cover, though. Researchers need to study older and rural customers, compare different platforms, and look at hard data like real delivery times, net promoter scores, and trust ratings. Additionally, exploring the way loyalty evolves over time and why people feel attached to a platform would effectively fill in the gaps, particularly since Q commerce is evolving rapidly.