Quick commerce, e-commerce firms steady the ship as India-Pakistan tensions ease

Quick commerce, e-commerce firms steady the ship as India-Pakistan tensions ease

Quick commerce and e-commerce platforms are reporting a return to normalcy after a brief but tense stand-off between India and Pakistan earlier this week, with operations stabilising across key regions and consumer demand beginning to recover, several industry stakeholders told Moneycontrol.

The three-day disruption, which began on May 7 following India's strike on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, had prompted precautionary supply-chain adjustments and temporary caps on order quantities. However, with the ceasefire now in effect and holding, industry players say the impact, while real, remained short of being seriously disruptive.

“There was definitely a dip – about 20 percent over the last few days – as people shifted focus away from shopping. But it wasn’t long enough to cause serious disruption. Once news of the ceasefire came in, we saw demand start to normalise,” said a founder of a direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand who requested anonymity.

Earlier last week, Moneycontrol reported that e-commerce deliveries had been affected in parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and nearby regions, as mobility restrictions and safety concerns led delivery partners to reassess operations. Companies like Delhivery issued formal statements confirming disruptions in select pin codes. However, the worst-case scenarios feared by some never came to pass.

For quick commerce platforms – operating on the promise of sub-20-minute delivery – the window of heightened tension was too brief to cause any major change in consumer behaviour.

“We thought there would be uptake as people could stock up. But three days were too small a window for us to see anything significant,” said a quick commerce executive.

Still, companies did implement temporary measures. Inventory caps were placed on essential items like flour and oil, limiting customers to one or two units per order in a bid to discourage panic buying.

Behind the scenes, dark store replenishment remained a challenge due to regional slowdowns. “We didn’t face major blockages, but vehicular movement was definitely slower in some areas, which meant replenishing inventory to dark stores took longer than usual,” said an e-commerce executive, who did not want to be named.

Smaller D2C brands – particularly those reliant on online sales and digital advertising – felt the tremors more acutely. Consumer attention drifted away from discretionary shopping during the escalation, impacting ad returns and complicating demand planning for inventory-heavy categories.

“The volatility made planning difficult. But it’s already looking better,” said a founder of a consumer goods startup.

While the episode caused some temporary turbulence, companies say it reinforced the need for flexible logistics planning and contingency protocols, especially for inventory-heavy categories and time-sensitive deliveries. Most players, however, view it as a brief operational blip rather than a full-blown crisis.

As the geopolitical situation settles, platforms are gradually lifting delivery restrictions and reinstating usual operations. With consumers resuming regular ordering patterns and supply chains stabilising, India’s digital commerce engine is humming once again – albeit with renewed appreciation for the value of operational resilience.