The percentage of online grocery buyers who buy groceries as and when required as opposed to on a scheduled basis (monthly or weekly) reportedly rose to 57 per cent in 2024 from 23 per cent in 2023.
17 per cent of online grocery buyers now want their groceries delivered within 30 minutes, as per a survey by LocalCircles, a community social media platform. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online grocery delivery has seen a sharp increase. The trend of buying groceries online, driven by convenience and value, has already been established in metro and tier 1 and 2 cities.
This trend is now spreading to Tier 3 and 4 cities, where more households are opting for doorstep delivery of packaged groceries due to value, a wider selection, and convenience. The survey had 70,000 responses from online grocery buyers located in 227 districts of India.
Since 2022, several quick grocery delivery platforms have emerged, promising deliveries within 30 minutes. These platforms are popular among metro consumers for last-minute and impulsive grocery and food purchases, making online grocery shopping a go-to choice for many, according to the survey.
Similarly, the percentage of online grocery buyers who buy groceries as and when required as opposed to on a scheduled basis (monthly or weekly) sharply rose to 57 per cent in 2024 from 23 per cent in 2023.
According to the survey, most people still place a high value on quality and value. The winner is the one who can combine these two factors with quick delivery, attentive customer care, and a large assortment. The survey further adds, “As an increasing percentage of consumers in India use online grocery platforms, 86 per cent of them still use quality as their top criteria in selecting the platform, while for 73 per cent of them, it is also value for money and delivery times that matter in addition to quality.”
In a ratings pilot in Noida, Amazon Fresh tops quality, value, and service; Big Basket excels in selection and exclusivity. Quick grocery platforms like Zepto, Blinkit, and Instamart have improved service and selection ratings over the past year, delivering groceries within 30 minutes. JioMart and Flipkart, while high in value, are less preferred due to longer delivery times.
Flipkart scores 2.5/5 on selection as it no longer sells fresh produce, though its delivery times have improved from 48–96 hours to 16–36 hours, still longer than most platforms. JioMart maintains a 3.5/5 rating on selection but has seen its service rating drop from 2.5/5 to 2/5 and its value rating drop from 4/5 to 3.5/5. The quality rating remains low at 2.5/5, with delivery times now between 24-72 hours.