Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands are facing longer onboarding timelines and rising costs to list on quick commerce platforms, as surging demand and a sharper focus on profitability prompt these firms to tighten entry and monetisation levers.
“We started the onboarding process in January and are yet to go live,” said a Bengaluru-based skincare founder. “At the same time, we are paying nearly an 8% premium compared to brands that were onboarded last year, which materially impacts our margins.”
A founder of a petcare startup said commission rates across platforms have risen 8–12% over the past few months.
“Quick commerce is a critical channel for us to scale user acquisition, but the cost of being present on these platforms has gone up significantly,” the person said, adding that most emerging brands have little choice but to absorb the higher spends.
Apart from marketplace commissions, brands are also incurring additional costs towards warehousing, storage, last-mile delivery and promotional spends. Taken together, the total share of quick commerce platforms now exceeds 35 per cent of the selling price in many categories, industry executives said.
Satish Meena, advisor at Datum Intelligence, said the increase in commissions and listing costs reflects a structural shift in the sector.
“This is not a seasonal spike. Platforms are now looking to monetise more effectively as the focus shifts towards profitability. None of the major players are profitable yet, and investors are increasingly expecting a clear path to sustainable earnings,” he said.
Meena added that onboarding is no longer instantaneous, unlike traditional ecommerce marketplaces. “There is a clear capacity constraint, which has led to the emergence of waitlists. Platforms are becoming more selective, prioritising brands that can demonstrate strong sales velocity and inventory turnover,” he said.
He also pointed out that the dynamics of quick commerce—where purchases are often impulse-driven—make brand substitution easier, further intensifying competition. “If a product is not available, the consumer is likely to switch to an alternative. This pushes brands to invest more in visibility and platform-led promotions to retain share,” Meena said.
Even as companies push for higher commissions to improve unit economics, they continue to spend aggressively on dark store expansion and customer acquisition, underscoring the balancing act between growth and profitability in an increasingly competitive market.