E-commerce Technology Trends

🚨 New Elevation Capital thesis: Quick Commerce x Food! Indians today have come to instinctively check Instamart or Blinkit before Amazon for daily needs. Capitalising on this shift, quick commerce has expanded from a few thousand SKUs to 20,000+ in dark stores, with megapods offering 50,000 SKUs across multiple categories including apparel, electronics, and long-tail items. Despite horizontal expansion, 80% of GMV for quick commerce companies remains grocery-driven, leaving significant room for vertical specialization in other categories. These new vertical quick commerce models are bridging the offline-online experience gap, where quick is one axis of innovation, not the sole focus. One such vertical is food. It's creating new consumption by capturing offline and packaged food consumption rather than cannibalizing existing delivery. For instance, Swish has been at the forefront of innovation in selecting demand occasions and building consumer habits in this space. Some highlights: > Hot beverages unlock entirely new demand - traditional 30+ minute delivery made ordering coffee/tea impractical due to temperature and taste degradation > Quick food platforms reduce cognitive load by curating options vs. endless restaurant scrolling on traditional food delivery apps > Snacking and beverages drive initial adoption, creating opportunity to expand into main meals > Full-stack approach required - companies must control sourcing, cooking, technology, and logistics end-to-end > Food prep technologies include deep frozen, cook-and-chill, and fresh preparation > Current models primarily use partially prepared bases with final cooking steps completed at point of dispatch - similar to QSR > Key challenges: variety expansion beyond core dishes, price competitiveness and solving for trust/perception gap > Main meals (lunch/dinner) emerging for low-cognitive decision occasions like rice bowls or salads where brand matters less than quick, fresh delivery

I have always been fascinated by how dining habits evolve with social and economic shifts. In India, the geography of dining is changing before our eyes. Urban dine-in remains important, but the real momentum is building in suburbs, tier-2 towns, and through delivery platforms. The food services market in India is expected to grow from about Rs 5.5 lakh crore today to close to Rs 10 lakh crore by 2030. Online delivery is projected to account for nearly a fifth of that pie. Cloud kitchens, which were once considered experimental, are becoming mainstream. They already represent over a billion dollars in value and are projected to triple by the end of the decade. This is not just about efficiency. It is about creating hospitality in new forms, wherever the diner chooses to be. For me, these numbers are not abstract. They are signals. They tell us how restaurants must rethink design, reach, and experience. Here is how I see it: 1/ Suburbs and tier-2 cities are emerging as powerful growth engines. 2/ Cloud kitchens can extend a brand’s presence without diluting its identity. 3/ Delivery and hybrid formats demand the same attention to quality and consistency as a flagship restaurant. The future of dining in India belongs to businesses that understand these shifts deeply and adapt with clarity. As someone who lives and breathes this industry every day, I see this as a moment of great possibility. #India #Hospitality #Future #Trends #Growth #Success

A decade ago, when I moved back home - I’d miss my Chipotle Mexican Grill's burrito. Today, something similar is available at the touch of a button. Food delivery has changed the game, and evolved India’s taste buds 🌮 Just in February alone, I’ve placed 17 orders on food delivery apps - from a last minute ice cream order for guests coming home to a smoothie as an evening snack at work🙌🏻 The cuisines were also varied - Lebanese, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Mexican and of course Indian. I’ve seen the conversation evolve everywhere I go. Everyone is a foodie. ‘International’ cuisine isn’t enough. Consumers now want specialisation. I’d argue, food delivery has made opening a food outlet so much easier and led to an evolution of our taste buds. Let’s deep dive into why: ✅ Convenience at Your Doorstep Meals delivered directly with literally 0 effort. All the options available on your screen. Discovery couldn’t be easier. And, with reasonable prices - consumers are willing to try new things. ✅ Supporting Socio-Economic Factors Busy lifestyle, increased disposable income, and tech adoption have shifted people away from traditional home-cooked meals. A whitespace perfectly tapped by Zomato and Swiggy. ✅ Innovative Marketing Strategies & Interesting Offers Heavy marketing and lucrative sales tactics such as discounts, cashback deals and attractive loyalty programmes like Swiggy One hook millions of users to come in every day. Social media presence is no stranger in this space. Zomato has 891K followers and their strategy is a case study on how to really connect with your customer. This leads to 30Mn+ organic traffic per month. The outcome? ⭐️ There were 6 Cr+ unique dishes served on Swiggy in 2023 ⭐️ The no. of meal delivery users in India will reach 346.6 Mn by 2028 It’s part of our daily life. ‘Swiggy it’ is now something my mom says. And, it’s made access to global cuisine democratic! With Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC) coming in, this could only get bigger. One thing’s for sure - food delivery has caused real change in behavior and it’s here to stay. Our taste buds are nuanced. Everyone is a food critic 😂. The ‘new place’ I tried is a conversation starter. Access to quality food has increased. And, the bar is now much higher to achieve success as a QSR/cloud kitchen! Have your taste buds evolved? Check your last month’s order history to verify 😜 PS: a photo with one of my favorite food founders Sagar Daryani of Wow! Momo at one of his outlets in Kolkata after an awesome meal 🥘 #foodandbeverages #fooddelivery #india #indianfood #foodbusiness

🗽 A view from New York! Below is a peek into what New York's new Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act looks like in the wild. ICYMI: Effective July 8, 2025, the Act requires companies who use algorithmic pricing based on personal data to display the following consumer-facing disclosure near any advertised price: “THIS PRICE WAS SET BY AN ALGORITHM USING YOUR PERSONAL DATA.” Key elements of the law: ✅ Covered entities: Any business doing business in New York State that uses a computational process (an “algorithm”) to dynamically set prices based on personal data that could be linked to a specific consumer or device. ✅ Obligations: Any company that publishes or displays a price that is based on personalized algorithmic pricing (dynamic pricing set by an algorithm that uses consumer data) has to present the clear and conspicuous disclosure above. The Act also regulates price discrimination by prohibiting the use of personal information that identifies someone as a member of a protected class to set a price for a good or service if: 1)  the use of that data has the effect of withholding or denying accommodations, advantages and privileges offered to others, or 2)  if the price is different from the price offered to other groups.  📌 The law is currently being challenged by the National Retail Federation (NRF), which alleges that the law is unconstitutional and violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments by compelling NRF members to convey misleading messages they oppose. The NRF argues the mandated disclosure mischaracterizes lawful and pro-consumer practices, such as loyalty discounts and cart-based promotions.  The complaint also alleges that the Act fails the Zauderer test for commercial disclosures as it is not “purely factual and uncontroversial” and is not justified by any real effort to prevent consumer deception. This ruling will be interesting. The NRF's claims that the warning will falsely imply an exploitative act even where there is consumer benefit, sounds similar to the concerns raised around "Ask App Not to Track" and "Do Not Sell or Share My PI" - curious to see where this one lands.

FOOD DELIVERY IN ASIA-PACIFIC SURGED 23%. BUT WHO’S REALLY WINNING — AND WHO’S STILL EXPERIMENTING? The latest from Retail Asia confirms it: food delivery is now infrastructure across SEA. But beneath that 23% surge is a hyper-competitive, cost-sensitive market with very few clear winners. ON THE GROUND IN SOUTHEAST ASIA: ✅ Grab, foodpanda & THE CLOUD KITCHEN WAVE These aren’t just platforms—they’re commerce ecosystems: - Grab layers payments, subscriptions, and loyalty into delivery. - Foodpanda is pivoting deeper into q-commerce with groceries and essentials. - SMEs are pushing bundles, ghost kitchens, and aggregator hacks to stay relevant. 🚀 FAST COMMERCE IS HERE — BUT UNIT ECONOMICS REMAIN FRAGILE In Singapore, ultra-fast delivery (10–30 mins) is being tested, but: - Last-mile labor and urban dark store rentals strain margins - AOVs remain under SG$20—below breakeven without bundling - UrbanFox, once a promising micro-fulfillment player, has shut down — highlighting just how difficult it is to scale in high-COS markets Other players like Pandamart, GrabMart, and even AirAsia’s Move continue experimenting with localized fulfillment under pressure. REAL TRACTION SIGNALS: 1. QR payments up 31% YoY in SG (Adyen) 2. 51% of SG consumers shop via social commerce 3. 48% of SG businesses see increased sales from connected offline+online systems 4. But many fast commerce players are burning through CAC due to low retention 🔍 MISSING LINKS FROM THE ECOSYSTEM: - Loyalty still unlinked from payment data - Real-time inventory sync is inconsistent - Fulfillment is patchy in Tier 2/3 zones 💡 THE TAKEAWAY: This isn’t just food delivery — it’s real-time retail under compression. The winners won’t just be fast. They’ll: - Compress UX friction - Bundle profitability through loyalty & payments - Own the last 500 meters intelligently 📣 SEA FOUNDERS & OPERATORS: If your unit economics don’t work in Singapore, they won’t scale across SEA. Compression, not velocity, is the unlock. Disclaimer: This post reflects my personal observations and analysis based on publicly available data, industry insights, and experience. It does not represent the views of any specific company mentioned, nor does it constitute financial advice. All references to company performance, strategies, or ecosystem impact are based on third-party sources cited above.   #FastCommerce #QCommerce #FoodDelivery #eCommerce #Logistics https://lnkd.in/gwNJU698

India’s quick food delivery space is on fire By 2030, this market is expected to cross ₹2 lakh crore Growing at a steady 18% CAGR We now have five players defining five radically different paths: 1. Zepto Cafe - Went from 30k to 100k+ daily orders - 50% gross margin on snacks & drinks - Built for 10-minute delivery via dark stores • Snack-first = higher margins than meals • Urban density + micro-warehousing is its engine • Positioned as a full-stack alternative to Zomato/Swiggy But: - Operations were paused in 44 stores across North India - Delhi NCR, Agra, Meerut, Haridwar, Gorakhpur, Amritsar, and Ghaziabad were impacted - Supply + staffing crunch triggered shutdown • Target to resume Q2 FY26 •Highlights the fragility of scaling ops too fast •High dependency on hyper-local labor & logistics 2. Bistro by Zomato  Zomato tried a restaurant-led 10-minute model.  It failed. • Kitchens weren’t ready • Restaurant menus were too long • CX was inconsistent - So they pulled the plug—and went all in on Blinkit’s Bistro kitchens. - Now active across Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru. - More than 100 kitchens. Zomato now controls the experience end-to-end. • Tighter kitchen prep timelines • Curated, limited menus  • Blinkit infrastructure as a moat 3. Swiggy Bolt Swiggy’s counterpunch? Bolt - Live in 500 cities - 10–15 min food delivery - Now over 10% of total Swiggy food orders Unlike Zomato’s earlier model, Swiggy took a smarter route: • Partnered with restaurants to create Bolt-only prep stations • Menus capped at 8–10 items for speed • Uses cloud kitchen expertise to streamline ops Bolt isn’t about being everywhere. It’s about owning the urban ��hungry-now” moment - Ideal for metros - Great for high AOV use cases - Appeals to speed-first professionals 4. Swiggy Snacc Snacc is Swiggy’s most interesting—and riskiest—play - A standalone app - Built for snack-first consumers - Targets urban, health-conscious professionals Think cold brews. Protein bars. Shakes. Delivered in <10 minutes. Unlike Bolt or Bistro, Snacc is not about meals. It’s about intent-driven indulgence. Why a separate app? • To test a focused vertical • To learn from behavioural signals • To keep branding distinct from Swiggy’s mainline But:  - Low order frequency.  - Harder to builda habit.  - Limited scale outside major cities. 5. bigbasket enters the chat BigBasket just announced a national rollout of 10-minute food delivery. Starting with: - 40 dark stores by July - Snacks from Starbucks and Qmin (Tata-owned) - No third-party brands involved The twist? They’re bundling food with existing grocery orders. This means: • Lower delivery cost per order • Higher AOV per cart • Repeat use from a loyal base And they’re expanding dark stores from 700 → 1200 by end-2025. So what’s really going on here? Standalone apps. Snack-only menus. Bundled logistics. This isn’t just food delivery anymore. It’s micro-commerce. Optimized for time, mood, and moment.

India got its own Zara, but faster, louder and most IMPORTANTLY, fully made in India. And now, it delivers your outfit in 10 minutes. Meet SNITCH, a brand that’s doing over ₹100 crore in monthly revenue, valued at ₹2,500 crore, and is now entering quick commerce. 5 years ago, Snitch was just a tiny menswear experiment from Bangalore. Selling shirts to retailers, no hype or D2C dream. Then the pandemic hit, and they changed, from B2B to D2C, from racks to reels. Today, Snitch has become a case study in how to build desire. - 55 offline stores and still counting - Presence across 20+ states  - 35 new styles dropping every single day. Co-ords, prints, oversized fits, all designed for Indian men who finally stopped pretending to be Zara models. And now, they’re taking the biggest leap yet, entering quick commerce. Yes, you read that right. The same way you order Coke or chips on Blinkit, you’ll soon be able to order a shirt. 10 minutes before a party. Delivered before the DJ starts. Sounds wild, but it’s already happening. Snitch has the local inventory, offline muscle, and a Gen Z audience that shops faster than it thinks. And once fashion enters q-commerce, speed stops being logistics but becomes marketing. Because if Blinkit can sell ice cream in 10 minutes, Snitch can sell confidence. And Snitch is not the only brand doing this; there are multiple others: BEWAKOOF®, The Souled Store, and Rare Rabbit are already building instant delivery pipelines. Even H&M and Zudio Trent Limited have started testing hyperlocal pilots through 3rd-party delivery partners in metro cities. All these brands have realised the same truth: Q-commerce is not just for food or groceries but a new distribution layer for everything that sells emotion. The competition will come down to who owns speed, stock, and storytelling. Because in this game, the brand that reaches your door 1st also wins your mindshare. Groceries did it first, beauty followed, and now fashion is stepping in. Because India doesn’t wait anymore; not for meals, clothes, or trends. Snitch is proof that the next big battle in Q-commerce won’t be for essentials but for style.

E.L.F. BEAUTY just launched a virtual makeup experience on Roblox for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. They’re meeting the generation that doesn’t want to be marketed to inside the gaming universe. And it’s working. The experience puts players in the role of a makeup artist preparing characters for important life moments. You choose the theme. You create the look using virtual cosmetics. You see and interact with other players’ creations in a livestream-style mode. There are four launch characters, celebrating women in business, sport, music and gaming, with new characters dropping each month. The company says it’s aimed at Gen Z and Gen Alpha shoppers who believe their virtual avatar represents them better than their physical self, citing youth trend data. Around 60% of gamers say self-expression through gameplay matters more to them than ever. 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. → e.l.f. joins a growing list of brands showing up on Roblox. → Pacsun launched 𝘗𝘢𝘤𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘴 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘛𝘺𝘤𝘰on. → Mattel is bringing Barbie, Uno and Hot Wheels into the platform. → Walmart built its own Roblox experiences and partnered with e.l.f. so players can buy physical products through Walmart. Roblox is also making it easier to link virtual and physical shopping, letting brands sell real-world items inside virtual stores through Shopify. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁! If a generation doesn’t want to be marketed to, you stop trying to persuade them and give them something they can step into, shape and make their own.

The acquisition of Blue Apron by Wonder Group is a pivotal moment in the ready-meal and food delivery industry. The convergence of technology and culinary arts, as demonstrated by both Blue Apron and Wonder Group, and the quick commerce industry (e.g., Uber Eats, Getir, JustEatTakeaway, Delivery Hero) are shaping the future trajectory of how consumers engage with food, from preparation to consumption. From my perspective, this deal is emblematic of the evolving consumer needs and the ongoing trend toward convenience, customization, and experiential dining. ++ 🔎 Key Highlights of this Acquisition and the Industry Trends ++ 1. Consumer Preferences are Evolving: Consumers are continuously looking for convenient and high-quality meal solutions. The surge in meal kit subscriptions and ready-to-cook services indicates a shifting preference toward at-home dining experiences that blend convenience with gourmet experiences. 2. Market Consolidation and Synergy: With Wonder Group acquiring Blue Apron, consolidating entities with complementary assets and capabilities can result in an enhanced value proposition and diversified product offerings. The synergy created can boost operational efficiency and foster innovation. 3. Digital Integration and Customization:  Integrating digital platforms and applications will continue to play a crucial role in personalizing consumer experiences. The envisioned “super app for mealtime” by Marc Lore can act as a catalyst in customizing mealtime experiences and enhancing consumer engagement. 4. Sustainability Concerns: The industry is also experiencing a heightened focus on sustainability and environmental concerns. Future innovations would likely emphasize eco-friendly packaging, sustainable sourcing, and waste reduction, aligning with global consumers' increasing awareness and preferences for sustainable products. ++ 🔭 Future Trends We Should Observe ++ 1. Experiential Dining: I've been talking about experiences a lot and the focus on creating more immersive and enriched dining experiences will intensify, with brands leveraging technology and culinary innovations to offer unique and memorable food experiences. 2. Holistic Wellness: Consumers' inclination towards healthier and more nutritious food options will drive brands to innovate and diversify their product portfolios, focusing more on wellness and holistic health. 3. Hyper-Personalization: Advanced technologies like AI and data analytics will facilitate hyper-personalization in food choices, dietary plans, and customer service, allowing brands to cater to consumers' nuanced preferences and dietary needs. 4. Multi-Channel Presence: Brands will strive to expand their presence across multiple channels, integrating online and offline experiences to meet consumers where they are. Omni-channel strategies will be paramount for brands to stay relevant and competitive. Follow #ecommert to track insights about #ecommerce #strategy and #sales #management.