Quick Commerce

Quick commerce (Q-commerce) is an instant delivery service that completes the entire process from order to delivery in 10-30 minutes. While traditional e-commerce offers "next-day to multi-day delivery" and online supermarkets offer "same-day to next-day delivery," quick commerce provides the experience of "getting it right now" - a fundamentally different proposition.

This immediacy is powered by the combination of dark stores distributed across urban areas and last-mile delivery via bicycles and motorbikes. By limiting the service area to a radius of a few kilometers, lead time from order receipt through picking to delivery completion is minimized. In Japan, OniGO launched its service in 2021, and Uber Eats and Demaecan have also entered the instant grocery delivery space.

Quick commerce is most powerful in situations where "you need something right now but cannot go out." Running out of a seasoning while cooking, needing snacks and drinks for unexpected guests, or being too unwell to go shopping - in these scenarios, ordering via app instead of running to a convenience store is becoming an established habit.

In terms of cost, product prices are comparable to or slightly higher than supermarket prices, with delivery fees typically ranging from 200-500 yen per order. A small-order surcharge may also apply to low-value orders. Some services offer monthly subscription plans that effectively eliminate delivery fees for frequent users. When considering that quick commerce can reduce impulse purchases at convenience stores, some users report that their total spending does not change significantly.