Leaving for an early morning meeting, but the dog ate your toothbrush?

That's how the quick commerce market was born in the post-COVID era. This industry is now disrupting logistics, customer service, and entire business models. More importantly, quick commerce has created a unique talent pool with its own skill sets.

Delivering India's next big employer

True to its name, the quick commerce industry is expected to grow by 75–85% in 2025, reaching a gross merchandise value of $6 billion. The average monthly orders per customer have grown from 4.4 in 2021 to 6 in 2024. The industry was valued at $3.34B in 2024 and is expected to reach $9.95B by 2029.

What started out as a premium experience for India's Tier-1 cities is now expanding into Tier 2, signaling rapid expansion and growth. This rapid growth has fueled the creation of a new employable sector in India.

Eight times more workforce to be added in cart

In 2024, the sector had employed over 400,000 people. The white collar workforce is quite smaller and has traits that overlap with the tech and supply chain sector.

The demand for blue collar workers in Q-commerce, however, is expected to grow to 2.7M jobs by 2027. That's a projected growth of over eight times.

 Under the blue collar

The two most common blue collar jobs are in dark store operations and delivery. Here's an expected list of skillsets in the workforce.

Skillsets

• Entry level digital literacy: The workforce will be comfortable with scanning barcodes, using warehouse management apps, updating statuses, and similar digital tasks.

• Non-mandatory, elementary level education: 71% of the workforce will be high school graduates or lower who can read English and operate digital devices. The rest will be college-level graduates.

• Warehouse and inventory management: Dark store workers will be skilled at high frequency stocking, picking, sorting, and inventory management.

• Navigation: In just a few days, agents should be able to complete deliveries faster due to location familiarity, just like walking beats.

• Basic problem solving and customer interaction: They will understand and execute a documented process for solving customer service or product issues through a mix of digital and in-person interactions.

Bottom line: The skillsets of the blue collar Q-commerce workforce will be a blend of traditional operational skills and modern digital competency.

The secret to delivering happiness

Despite the abundant availability of labor, the industry suffers one of the highest attrition rates (over 100%), which signals a clear need for investments in engagement and retention.

The keyword for retention in Q-commerce is hyper-local.

Build hyper-localized communities and talent pools

Instead of sourcing fresh every time, maintain area-wise talent pipelines in your ATS. Local WhatsApp groups, vendor partners, recruitment drives, or referral programs can keep them on your radar.

Create employer brand engagement

The temp workforce should immediately and consistently feel positively affirmed. Communicate the brand's story clearly and make early touchpoints feel aspirational and inclusive. Memos, appreciations, and vision from top leadership make the temp workforce feel valued and part of the organization

Incentivize long-term employees

Reward consistent performers by prioritizing them for future openings. Encourage referrals with small incentives, and offer bonuses for full attendance over a fixed period, weekly or monthly incentives for completing a target number of deliveries or shifts, and organization-wide upskilling programs.

A brilliant example is Starbucks' college scholarship program for their baristas. These might seem like a big investment on a temp workforce, but you'd be surprised at how it strengthens the employer brand.

Create feedback loops

Use simple-to-use surveys or localized focus groups to gather periodic feedback. Analyze and interpret the feedback and take steps to improve working conditions for the employees. Acting on feedback shows you care, and word spreads quickly.

Pre-screen with behavioral assessments

Beyond eligibility, understand the reliability, motivation, and attitude of candidates. Behavioral screening helps you pick candidates less likely to churn.

There are signals of rapid expansion everywhere. So, it's imperative for the Q-commerce giants of India and their staffing partners to hire the right people and engage them. This will help reduce one of their largest overheads, hiring and retention, and increase profitability.