Delivery deficit: Quick commerce firms face worker crunch ahead of festival season rush

Quick commerce firms face worker crunch ahead of festival season rush

As India’s quick commerce giants ramp up operations ahead of the festival season rush, staffing firms are flagging an intensifying crunch in delivery personnel, driven by relentless dark store expansion, high attrition, volatile payouts, and heightened competition from new entrants.

According to several recruitment platforms Moneycontrol spoke to, vacancy rates among platforms like Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto have climbed as high as 30 percent in some cities, even though the delivery workforce has already expanded by as much as 50 percent over the past year.

Recruiters warn that manpower growth simply isn’t keeping pace with the ballooning demand, as quick commerce operators continue to widen their geographic footprint and extend last-mile coverage.

“There is a visible shortfall in available manpower. Although platforms have increased their hiring efforts, demand is growing faster than the supply. Vacancy rates in some metros have touched 25 to 30 percent, particularly where new stores are launching aggressively,” said Sachin Alug, CEO of NLB Services.

“Many delivery hubs are even running with stretched fleets, which directly affects fulfillment timelines and partner efficiency,” he added.

The crunch comes at a time when quick commerce operators have been aggressively expanding their dark store networks. Blinkit added 243 new stores in the June quarter alone, taking its total to 1,544. Swiggy Instamart now operates 1,062 stores, while new entrants like Flipkart Minutes and Amazon Now have intensified their presence in top metros, adding pressure to a workforce already stretched thin.

Rising attrition pressure

While these platforms race to scale their delivery fleets, the average tenure of delivery personnel continues to fall — with most workers exiting in under six months. TeamLease Services estimates that current average gig workforce stints range between four and six months, particularly in cities like Delhi and Bengaluru, where platform-switching is rampant.

“Where incentive structures lack transparency or stability, workers are more likely to exit or switch. On the other hand, platforms that offer consistent earnings, attendance bonuses, or peak-hour pay tend to retain their delivery partners longer,” said Kartik Narayan, CEO - Staffing at TeamLease Services.

Average per-order payouts in quick commerce have dropped by as much as 40 percent over the last year, falling from Rs 34–Rs 42 in 2024 to Rs 22–Rs 30 in 2025, according to Adecco India. Some recruiters estimate earnings to even dip as low as Rs 15-Rs 25 per order.

“This trend is largely driven by a combination of increased delivery volumes, compressed delivery timeframes, and a broader shift toward incentive-linked payout structures,” an Adecco India spokesperson said.

“The decline is more pronounced in operations expanding into Tier-2 cities or undergoing cost optimization, where fixed payouts have given way to variable models tied to performance metrics. As a result, earnings predictability for delivery partners has diminished, contributing to workforce churn,” the spokesperson added.

Shifting gears

With rising fuel prices, compressed delivery windows, and mounting physical strain, many gig workers are opting out of hyperlocal quick delivery altogether — choosing instead to move into adjacent roles in electric vehicle (EV)-based logistics, general e-commerce, or food delivery.

Adecco estimates that 20–30 percent of urban delivery partners have already shifted to such sectors by mid-2025. NLB Services puts that number even higher at 30–35 percent of new sign-ups.

“What started as a stopgap has now become a long-term career option, particularly in cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata, where demand and job postings have more than doubled (in these sectors),” said NLB’s Alug.

What’s also driving this shift is the perceived intensity of 10-minute delivery jobs, which demand tighter timelines, longer shifts, and fewer breaks compared to more traditional last-mile delivery. Meanwhile, roles in logistics or e-commerce offer structured hours and often come with benefits like insurance, retention bonuses, or training incentives.

Delivering reasons to stay

In response, several quick commerce platforms are experimenting with new retention models. These include hybrid contracts that blend fixed pay with performance incentives, skill-linked bonuses, attendance-based rewards, and even seasonal milestone payouts.

“Hybrid contracts, combining a fixed salary with variable performance-based components, are being introduced to offer greater income stability while maintaining productivity incentives,” said Narayan of TeamLease. “Skilling-linked incentives are also gaining momentum, with workers receiving bonuses or career advancement opportunities upon completing specific training modules.”

The urgency to fix retention is only expected to grow in the coming weeks, as the festive season kicks off and delivery volumes spike. While past years saw seasonal hiring begin closer to mid-September, recruiters say platforms started onboarding extra riders as early as July this year — a sign of how acute the shortfall has become.

What remains to be seen is whether the combination of early onboarding and retention strategies can hold up against rising demand in the weeks ahead.