It is 12:15 a.m. in Bangalore. A student, hungry after late-night studying, taps an app to order a pack of brownies. By 12:25, the delivery is at his door. This magic feels effortless to the consumer, but behind it lies a complex web of intra-city logistics.
The real secret to Q-commerce is not just apps or algorithms. It is the constant replenishment of dark stores and hubs within cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. Without reliable logistics partners, the 10-minute promise collapses.
What Fuels the Q-Commerce Model?
Q-commerce, or quick commerce, relies on delivering essentials in 10 to 30 minutes. For that to happen, three things must work together:
Dark Stores positioned in dense neighborhoods, stocked with both cold and dry food.
High-Frequency Intra-City Runs from central kitchens or warehouses to replenish stock multiple times daily.
Reliable 3PL Partners to manage time-critical movements, especially when brands lack fleets of their own.
The Logistics Challenge of 10-Minute Promises
Running a Q-commerce model at scale in India’s metros is demanding:
Multiple trips daily. Dark stores may need restocking three to five times a day.
Mix of cold and dry food. Ice cream must arrive frozen, while eggs or frankie rolls just need speed.
Traffic bottlenecks. Mumbai monsoon jams or Bangalore peak hours can derail schedules.
Wastage risk. If milk or frozen items sit too long on city roads, they are unsellable.
For F&B brands supplying to Q-commerce players, the margin of error is razor-thin.
How 3PL Powers Q-Commerce Logistics
Specialized F&B 3PL providers like JustDeliveries are the hidden backbone of this system.
Scheduled Intra-City Runs
Intra-City Logistics ensures vans replenish dark stores multiple times a day in cities like Mumbai and Bangalore.Separate Fleets for Cold and Dry Food
Cold chain vans handle frozen desserts, milk, and dairy.
Dry fleets manage eggs, frankie rolls, and bakery items that need no refrigeration but must move quickly.
Urban Warehousing
Warehousing & Cold Storage close to demand centers reduces travel time, making same-day multiple drops possible.Tech-Enabled Visibility
Dashboards give managers real-time tracking, allowing them to respond to spikes in demand instantly.
Metro Focus: How It Plays Out
Mumbai: Dark stores in Bandra or Powai get multiple replenishments daily, especially for frozen items and eggs.
Bangalore: IT hubs in Whitefield or Electronic City demand high-frequency runs of snacks and dairy late into the night.
Delhi NCR: With dense demand pockets in Gurgaon and South Delhi, vans must move rapidly despite unpredictable traffic.
Hyderabad: Cloud kitchens supplying frankie rolls and frozen biryani rely on cold and dry vans shuttling daily.
Case Study: A Snack Brand in Mumbai
A snack brand struggled with frequent stockouts in its Q-commerce partner’s dark stores across Mumbai. Chips and biscuits ran out by evening, while frozen rolls often arrived semi-thawed. After switching to JD’s intra-city 3PL:
Dry snacks were replenished up to three times a day.
Frozen items arrived intact in cold chain vans.
Stockouts fell by 80 percent.
Sales increased by 20 percent in just two months.
The Sustainability Dilemma
Frequent runs increase carbon footprint. Smarter 3PL solves this through:
Route Optimization: Combining multiple drops in one trip.
Shared Fleets: Brands share vans, cutting costs and emissions.
EV Integration: Some city routes in Bangalore and Delhi are already moving to electric vehicles.
The Economic Times reports India’s EV adoption in logistics is growing rapidly.
Why Brands Need a Q-Commerce Strategy
Q-commerce is not just for aggregators like Zepto or Blinkit. It is now a channel for every F&B brand. To succeed, brands need logistics partners who understand the difference between a box of eggs and a tub of ice cream.
Without reliable intra-city movement, the 10-minute promise will crumble, and so will brand loyalty.
Final Word
Q-commerce is rewriting customer expectations. Behind every 10-minute delivery is a network of intra-city cold and dry food logistics. For F&B brands in Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, and Hyderabad, working with a specialized 3PL partner like JustDeliveries ensures products reach dark stores fresh, fast, and ready for the customer’s tap.
Mansi Mahansaria
I’m Mansi Mahansaria, CEO and Founder of JustDeliveries, a B2B logistics company specializing in the food and beverage sector. With a background in Chemical Technology (ICT Mumbai), an MBA (FMS Delhi), and experience at IDFC Private Equity and Tata Group, I’ve built a plug-and-play logistics network helping F&B brands scale efficiently. I also share insights on entrepreneurship and logistics at industry and academic events.
