Koen van Gelder
Team Lead E-commerce
Quick commerce – statistics & facts
E-commerce revolutionized shopping by enabling consumers to place any order online without leaving their homes. If delivery efficiency and convenience had already gained relevance in the early 21st century, the COVID-19 pandemic created the perfect storm to drive forward a new generation of e-commerce that puts speed at the center of the equation. In the wake of the pandemic, e-commerce on-demand and instant delivery emerged as one of the most sought-after logistics services globally. Placing immediacy at the forefront, quick commerce (q-commerce) offers to deliver orders almost in real time, usually in less than an hour or as quickly as twenty minutes.
Berlin alone had two homegrown q-commerce startups, Gorillas and Flink, both founded in 2020 amid the pandemic. Both companies secured billions of dollars in funding in just a few months. Another major player in the European quick commerce market was Istanbul-based Getir, which saw its number of monthly active users skyrocket before ceasing overseas operations in 2024. In the United States, Gopuff outdid competitors in the quick commerce market, with more than 120,000 daily active users at the height of the q-commerce trend. In 2025, the quick commerce market in the United States generated more than 62 billion U.S. dollars in revenues, nearly five times the size of the European quick commerce market that same year.
As of 2025, few q-commerce services still enjoy rapid growth in Western markets. In contrast, other parts of the world, such as India and China, are still experiencing strong growth in quick commerce, which does not limit itself to grocery delivery. Further expansion into non-food segments could perhaps create new momentum for European and North American quick commerce players, although expansion would be contingent on securing additional investments.
A phenomenon echoed worldwide
Whether to replenish a couple of essentials that ran out, buy missing ingredients for dinner, or indulge in a spontaneous treat, quick commerce aims to complement, rather than replace, grocery shopping. The concept gained traction in all corners of the world, garnering over 675 million q-commerce users globally in 2025. Quick commerce became characterized by waves of riders populating the urban landscape of major European and American cities, carrying delivery backpacks from competing brands in the sector.Berlin alone had two homegrown q-commerce startups, Gorillas and Flink, both founded in 2020 amid the pandemic. Both companies secured billions of dollars in funding in just a few months. Another major player in the European quick commerce market was Istanbul-based Getir, which saw its number of monthly active users skyrocket before ceasing overseas operations in 2024. In the United States, Gopuff outdid competitors in the quick commerce market, with more than 120,000 daily active users at the height of the q-commerce trend. In 2025, the quick commerce market in the United States generated more than 62 billion U.S. dollars in revenues, nearly five times the size of the European quick commerce market that same year.
A challenging road ahead?
In North American and European markets, quick commerce enjoyed massive popularity in the early pandemic years. Since late 2022, however, the delivery startups that dominated this space started facing a more challenging market. The most prominent q-commerce apps rapidly lost user activity in recent years, and the global investment climate also changed for the worse. Achieving profitability has been tough for q-commerce, and increasing service prices was an unpopular measure in a time of high food inflation. These challenging macroeconomic conditions instigated waves of mass layoffs, as well as multiple mergers and acquisitions. Many startups that sprung up during the pandemic scramble to survive a post-pandemic era characterized by stagflation and falling demand.As of 2025, few q-commerce services still enjoy rapid growth in Western markets. In contrast, other parts of the world, such as India and China, are still experiencing strong growth in quick commerce, which does not limit itself to grocery delivery. Further expansion into non-food segments could perhaps create new momentum for European and North American quick commerce players, although expansion would be contingent on securing additional investments.
