India's gifting market is seeing its biggest festive season yet, with sales through quick commerce platforms like Zepto, Blinkit and Instamart jumping 40%-50% year-on-year.
A new report by Google and Deloitte projects India's e-commerce market will nearly triple to USD 250 billion by 2030, driven by Gen Z shoppers, quick commerce expansion, and AI.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has announced a significant expansion of the company's quick commerce business, Amazon Now, to over 300 Indian cities, aiming to build the country's largest delivery-in-minutes network. This move follows a recent USD 35 billion investment commitment by Amazon in India.
Competition in the fast-growing quick commerce sector is heating up as Swiggy Instamart faces a tough challenge in narrowing the gap with Blinkit, which currently dominates the market. In the second quarter (Q2) of 2024-25 (FY25), Instamart's gross order value (GOV) rose by 42.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q) and 75.5 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y), reaching Rs 3,382 crore.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has clarified that the display of expiry and 'best before' dates on packaged food products sold on e-commerce platforms is governed by the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, which are administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA).
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced an additional USD 13 billion investment in India, bringing the company's total capital commitment to USD 48 billion by 2030. This significant investment will primarily focus on expanding AI and cloud infrastructure, supporting job creation, boosting e-commerce exports, and digitising small businesses, aligning with India's growing digital economy.
Hindustan Unilever (HUL) exceeded consensus estimates in Q4FY26, driven by lower overheads and 6 per cent consolidated volume growth. However, the company anticipates further price hikes to counter an expected 8-10 per cent material cost inflation, while maintaining a mid-term margin guidance of 22.5-23.5 per cent.
India's online retail market concluded 2025 with electronic retail (e-retail) gross merchandise value (GMV) reaching $65-66 billion, a 19-21 per cent increase, according to a report by Bain & Company and Flipkart. This growth is significantly driven by GenZ shoppers and the rapid expansion of quick commerce, which has emerged as a global leader.
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) faced a challenging fourth quarter, with its energy business experiencing significant headwinds, leading to overall muted results and prompting analysts to adjust their outlook, even as consumer segments like Jio and retail demonstrated robust growth.
"Our strategy has always been to focus on volume-led penetration growth," said Manish Tiwary, chairman and managing director, Nestle India.
Quick commerce platforms are experiencing a significant increase in demand for ready-to-eat food items as urban households face disruptions in cooking gas supply and a temporary outflow of migrant domestic help.
'While salary increments are moderating compared to last year, not all functions are moving at the same pace.'
The Iran conflict led to a sharp correction in Reliance Industries Ltd's (RIL's) share price, which has been partially reversed by a rebound.
N Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Consumer Products (TCPL), stated that India continues to experience credible economic growth, driven by strong demographic fundamentals and accelerating digital public infrastructure, despite a fragmented global landscape.
NPCI BHIM Services Ltd is expanding the BHIM app to feature phones to increase financial inclusion and diversify revenue through financial product distribution. The app aims to double its market share and is focusing on partnerships with banks and new features like UPI Circle.
Two of the three strikes are related to the gig economy, a centrepiece of the new labour Codes.
India's internet user base crossed 950 million in 2025, driven largely by rapid growth in rural connectivity, rising short-video consumption, and increasing adoption of AI, according to a report released by IAMAI on Thursday.
'Given that the population is almost evenly split, the Indian economy cannot grow without women participating in the workforce.' 'While women's participation has increased, it is still well below 40 per cent,' says Kartik Narayan, CEO of the professional networking and jobs platform, Apna.
10 stocks from the Nifty 200 index that offer good growth potential and scope to deliver decent returns from current levels, based on brokerage estimates.
Overall hiring volumes grew by 17 per cent year-on-year across key consumption-linked sectors during the August-October period, driven by heightened consumer sentiment, attractive festive promotions, and wider geographic penetration, according to a report.
'At the first sign of real trouble, that money will move. There will be a run.'
Ecommerce (ecom) and quick commerce (qcom) platforms are expected to lead gig worker hiring in calendar year 2026 (CY26), adding nearly 1 million workers on the back of sustained demand for last-mile deliveries, higher order volumes, and continued expansion of dark stores into non-metropolitan cities, industry experts have said.
Growth accelerated for Zomato operator Eternal in the second quarter of financial year 2026 (Q2FY26). Zomato's business to commerce (B2C) operations delivered a strong 57 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) rise in net order value (NOV) to Rs 23,164 crore while consolidated revenue soared 183 per cent Y-o-Y (90 per cent Q-o-Q) to Rs 13,590 crore during the period, with like-for-like (LFL) growth of 65 per cent, and acceleration in the quick commerce (QC) segment, which recorded NOV growth of 137 per cent Y-o-Y (27 per cent Q-o-Q).
India's peak power demand is projected to hit 270 GW this summer, surpassing last year's record of 250 GW.
'If movement remains stalled for three to four months, more than 300,000 recruitments from India could be affected.'
Leading FMCG firms reported a nearly two-fold increase in the share of quick commerce within their total e-commerce sales, and this surge is anticipated to continue, said a joint report by Deloitte and industry body FICCI. Quick Commerce, also known as hyperlocal delivery, is now reaching around 35 per cent of online sales and has become a preferred channel for urban consumers. "About 18 per cent of consumers prefer purchasing food and beverage items from Q-commerce channels.
The rapid rise of quick commerce is anticipated to create a substantial increase in the need for blue-collar workers, with India projected to require 2.4 million jobs by 2027, according to job matching and hiring platform Indeed. Quick commerce companies hired over 40,000 employees in the last quarter to handle increased festive shopping and e-commerce demand, Indeed India Sales Head Sashi Kumar said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar addressed the Rajya Sabha on India's position regarding the escalating conflict in West Asia, emphasising the need for peace, dialogue, and the safety of civilians, while also prioritising India's energy security and trade interests.
Highlighting India as the company's most important growth market, Fabricio Bloisi, group chief executive officer (CEO) of the Dutch technology investor Prosus signaled a sharp acceleration in artificial-intelligence investments across its portfolio in the country.
FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd, the parent company of beauty retailer Nykaa, recorded a 3.4x growth in net profit at ~34.43 crore in the second quarter of FY26, up from ~10.04 crore in the corresponding period last year.
Israel and the United States had a plan. Iran punched back. And now the Gulf is reeling, the world is beginning to feel the pain and, as on date, no one in Washington or Tel Aviv appears willing to admit that the punch has landed, notes Prem Panicker, continuing his must-read blog on the war in the Middle East.
Festive sales are expected to surge 27 per cent to cross Rs 120,000 crore in 2025, driving Amazon and Flipkart to expand warehousing capacity by millions of cubic feet and extend delivery networks to thousands of new pin codes -- an infrastructure buildout that could reshape India's retail landscape for years.
The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Tuesday asked e-commerce and quick-commerce food operators to ensure a minimum shelf life of 30 per cent or at least 45 days before products expire at the time of delivery. The order follows rising concerns over violations of food safety standards in quick-commerce and e-commerce.
'Earnings growth will be the main driver of India's market in 2026, with profits expected to rise 9% to 10% in H2 FY26 and accelerate to 12% to 15% in FY27.'
At the stroke of midnight, live dashboards lit up simultaneously across Amazon India's World Trade Centre headquarters and Flipkart's Outer Ring Road office in Bengaluru. In sprawling "war rooms" at both the companies, executives monitored real-time data streams tracking payment speeds, inventory levels, and delivery logistics as millions of shoppers flooded online platforms.
India's Venture Capital (VC) ecosystem exhibited robust growth in 2024, with funding surging 43 per cent year-on-year to $13.7 billion, according to a report. This recovery was fuelled by a 45 per cent rise in deal activity, with 1,270 transactions recorded, reinforcing India's position as the second largest market for venture capital and growth funding in the Asia-Pacific region, the report by Bain & Company and IVCA said.
A trade deal makes sense only if it is fair and reciprocal. If the cost is strategic dependence or loss of policy space, waiting is the wiser option, asserts Ajay Srivastava.
The size or turnover of a company, or even the salary package offered, no longer prevents employees from quitting, notices rediffGURU Pradeep Pramanik.
Young earners with high incomes and few responsibilities can save more than 30 per cent, while those with low salaries and high expenses may save less.
India's trade deficit with China is expected to reach $106 billion in 2025 as imports are rising faster than the country's exports to the neighbouring country, think tank GTRI said on Friday.
