Some 220 million Gen Z consumers are expected to command 45% of online spend in the coming years, with about 150 million new shoppers entering the digital economy, says the report.
Quick commerce is anticipated to play a strong role in this growth. As firms rapidly expand their reach by adding dark stores, deepening their product portfolio, and entering new markets, the segment is poised to scale 6x to $50 billion by 2030. The market size for the segment was $7-8 billion in 2025.
“The number of quick commerce shoppers is expected to double by 2030, from 32-34 million in 2025 to 65-70 million in 2030. As frictions and hurdles are eliminated, buying on quick commerce will become the norm,” the report added.
Further, the segment is also expected to see an increase in non-grocery purchases in the coming years.
“The growth is coming from tier two cities and non-food categories like electronics and fashion, which comprise about 45% of the total spend,” said Roma Datta Chobey, managing director, connected consumer commerce, Google India.
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Vertical commerce
Meanwhile, consumer preference for fast delivery is poised to give rise to vertical commerce platforms. “In categories which are very high in variety-seeking, verticalisation will be an important opportunity because dark stores will not be able to carry that much inventory to fulfil quickly,” said Anand Ramanathan, partner and consumer industry leader, south Asia, Deloitte.
ET reported on March 31 how quick commerce is expanding beyond groceries. Categories like food, construction materials, medicines, baby care, and house help are among a multitude of products and services that are now delivered within 10 minutes to an hour, with several startups emerging over the past year to address the growing demand for prompt fulfilment.
Content commerce
The report also explores how brands and platforms are expected to use AI to help streamline operations and simplify decision-making by shoppers, leading to a 30-35% increase in profitability.
“Consumers are getting a lot more convenience because AI is helping them simplify the entire process of shopping and researching, cutting to the chase, and quickly coming to the solution,” said Ramanathan.
Further, content creators will influence 30% of total retail spends by 2030, the report stated. “We will see the emergence of creator micro-storefronts, and one in 10 purchases will be directly attributed to these. A primary example of this is the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program,” said Chobey.