Reliance Retail’s quick commerce business is rapidly reshaping India’s retail landscape in 2026, with strong expansion, rising order volumes, and emerging profitability marking a new chapter for the conglomerate’s e-commerce ambitions. The company’s hyperlocal delivery arm JioMart Quick has scaled aggressively across the country, while strategic use of its extensive store network is helping boost efficiency and customer reach in a sector once dominated by ultra-fast delivery startups.
In its latest quarterly filings, Reliance’s quick commerce business reported four-digit growth in daily orders, achieving a run rate of approximately 1.6 million orders per day by the end of December 2025 — up about 53 percent quarter-on-quarter and more than 360 percent year-on-year. This surge places JioMart’s quick commerce operations among the largest in India, with the company claiming a position as the second-largest player in the segment, trailing only the established leader Blinkit in raw order volume.
What sets Reliance’s model apart from many rivals is its integration with the existing retail store footprint, which the company has used as a backbone for rapid delivery and fulfilment. With an expansive network of nearly 3,000 stores and over 600 dark stores across the nation, JioMart can fulfill orders from a combination of physical stores and specialised fulfilment hubs, extending coverage to more than 1,000 cities and over 5,000 pin codes. This hybrid approach helps keep costs in check while improving delivery reliability and geographic reach — crucial factors as competition in quick commerce intensifies.
Reliance’s Q3 FY26 earnings also highlighted that quick commerce is contributing meaningfully to its retail segment’s performance and has begun to show positive contribution margins. Company executives noted that profitable operations are now emerging as efficient sourcing strategies and a focus on high-margin categories like food and beverages drive better unit economics. One in three orders placed through the quick commerce business includes food and beverage items — a category where margins tend to be healthier and customer retention stronger.
This growth story is mirrored in the broader expansion of quick commerce offerings across Reliance’s retail ecosystem. For instance, Ajio Rush, the ultra-fast delivery arm for fashion and lifestyle products, has recently expanded to over 420 pin codes across major Indian cities, with next-day delivery options available in more than two dozen urban centers. Investments in logistics and fulfilment infrastructure are helping Reliance capture consumer demand for both convenience and speed across verticals, ranging from groceries to apparel.
Industry analysts have observed that Reliance’s willingness to absorb initial margin pressure while building the fulfilment backbone signals a strategic shift in the quick commerce playbook. Rather than focusing solely on 10-minute delivery promises — an approach that has raised concerns about worker welfare and unit economics — Reliance appears to prioritise broad coverage, consistency of service, and repeat customer behaviour. These factors are increasingly seen as key drivers of long-term sustainability in a segment where demand patterns vary widely between cities and product categories.
The quick commerce boom in India is not occurring in isolation. A recent market report shows that the Indian B2C e-commerce market is consolidating around large players like Reliance Retail, Amazon India, and Tata Digital, with quick commerce reshaping consumer convenience expectations and driving innovation in logistics, digital payments, and mobile engagement. The sector’s growth underscores how widespread mobile use and digital infrastructure improvements are enabling rapid last-mile delivery services beyond traditional e-commerce models.
However, the competitive landscape remains fraught with pressure. Rivals such as Blinkit and Instamart are adjusting their cost strategies, including dropping delivery fees in select markets to retain users and expand their footprint. At the same time, regulatory guidance in India is prompting major players to rethink ultra-fast delivery promises in favour of safer worker conditions and more sustainable operational models.
Overall, Reliance Retail’s quick commerce push — backed by its expansive store network, broad product catalogue, and emerging profitability — reflects a re-imagined retail strategy for modern consumers. By focusing on scalability and unit economics rather than purely speed-driven delivery metrics, Reliance is positioning itself to capture both short-term convenience demand and long-term retail loyalty as India’s fast-commerce market continues to expand throughout 2026.
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