Quick commerce has long thrived on speed with faster deliveries giving platforms an edge over competitors. However, the push for ultra-fast 10-minute deliveries has also sparked serious concerns about the safety and well-being of delivery partners. Tight timelines often ignore real-world challenges such as traffic, unclear addresses and navigating crowded neighbourhoods. This places immense pressure on riders.

Amid growing criticism and concerns raised by Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, quick commerce firms like Blinkit and Zepto have now voluntarily decided to pause their 10-minute delivery claims. The move follows discussions between the government and major platforms, including Zomato and Swiggy, and comes after days of protests and demands by gig workers for better pay and working conditions, including a strike on New Year’s Eve.

Government steps in to ease pressure on gig workers

The growing concerns have prompted government intervention with directions issued to remove strict, time-bound delivery claims. The move is expected to reduce pressure on delivery partners and offer much-needed relief to workers on the ground.

While major platforms have already begun tweaking or rolling back their “10-minute” delivery promises, it raises an important question will these changes affect how quickly orders reach customers?

Will scrapping the 10-minute promise slow down quick commerce deliveries?

Not really. Deliveries are unlikely to slow down because of this move. The biggest change is expected to be in branding and marketing language rather than in day-to-day operations. Unless there is a shift in on-ground conditions, how platforms function is likely to remain the same.

In fact, delivery times in quick commerce have always been flexible. They depend on several factors such as the number of nearby dark stores, availability of delivery partners, routing technology and order batching rather than a fixed promise on paper.

Does this mark a structural reset for quick commerce platforms?

Not quite. From a long-term perspective, this move is unlikely to change how quick commerce platforms operate at a fundamental level. Consumer behaviour is also expected to remain largely unchanged as demand is driven more by convenience than by strict, time-bound delivery promises.

What is likely to change, however, is the messaging. Aggregators are expected to fine-tune their taglines and public communication to better reflect how deliveries actually work on the ground.

The pause on 10-minute delivery claims signals a change in how quick commerce platforms communicate, not how they operate. Speed will continue to matter but it will no longer be framed as a rigid promise. For customers, the experience is unlikely to feel very different as orders may still arrive quickly, especially in well-connected areas. What changes is the emphasis: a safer, more realistic delivery model that balances convenience with the well-being of gig workers.