The Price of Convenience

There was a time when trade was founded upon a simple understanding between the seller and the buyer. The merchant knew the needs of his customers, the customer knew the character of the merchant, and commerce flourished upon the strength of trust. Profit was certainly an objective, but it was seldom separated from the relationship that made such profit possible. Today, we find ourselves in an age where a man may purchase his daily necessities without leaving his chair, and the goods may arrive at his doorstep before he has finished his cup of tea. We must acknowledge the remarkable progress that has made this possible. Yet we must also ask whether, in our pursuit of convenience, we are surrendering something more valuable than the minutes we have saved.

The rise of quick commerce in India is a development of considerable importance. According to Datum Intelligence, online festive sales reached approximately ₹1,40,800 crore during the 34-day festive period ending 9 November 2026, representing an increase of 17% over the previous year. Quick commerce accounted for nearly 16% of these sales, compared with 12% a year earlier.¹ Its orders reportedly increased by 75%, a remarkable achievement by any commercial measure.² Yet, during this same period, the average online card payment declined by 13%, from ₹6,830 to approximately ₹5,970.¹ We must therefore resist the temptation to mistake the growing number of transactions for an equally great improvement in economic prosperity. A merchant may sell more frequently and still find that he has earned less from each sale.

There is another matter deserving our attention. Datum Intelligence estimates that festive advertising expenditure in India could reach ₹60,000–62,000 crore in 2026, of which approximately ₹2,200 crore would be spent on quick-commerce advertising alone.³ Such expenditure may undoubtedly help businesses reach their customers. But we must ask whether all this money is being spent to create genuine demand or whether a portion of it is merely the price merchants must pay to remain visible in marketplaces where their customers have already gathered.

Consider a humble example. A household has purchased the same brand of soap for many years. Its preference is established, and its intention to purchase is already present. Yet when the customer enters a digital marketplace, the manufacturer may find it necessary to pay for a prominent position so that its product is not lost among competing advertisements. The customer purchases the soap, the platform records an advertising success, and the merchant pays for the privilege of selling to someone who may never have intended to buy anything else. I do not suggest that every such advertisement is wasteful, for advertising can introduce worthy products to those who need them. I suggest only that we must learn to distinguish between creating a customer and paying repeatedly to reach an existing one.

This distinction is not merely a question of accounting. It concerns the independence of enterprise itself. When a business depends increasingly upon another institution for access to its customers, it may gradually surrender the freedom to determine the terms upon which it trades. The platform possesses the knowledge of purchasing habits, controls much of the commercial environment, and may influence which products receive attention. The manufacturer, meanwhile, risks becoming dependent upon the continued purchase of visibility.

I do not believe that technological progress should be opposed simply because it changes established practices. Quick commerce has brought convenience to households, opportunities to enterprises and new possibilities for distribution. These benefits deserve recognition. But progress must be judged not only by the speed with which goods are delivered or the number of transactions completed, but also by whether it strengthens the economic well-being of those who participate in it.

Marketing leaders must therefore exercise greater discipline. They should measure not merely the sales attributed to advertisements, but the additional sales genuinely created by them. They must examine what remains after advertising expenditure, commissions, discounts and other costs have been paid. Above all, they must preserve the relationship between their brands and the people they serve.

Commerce should bring the producer and consumer closer together, not make their relationship permanently dependent upon a paid intermediary. Convenience is a worthy achievement, but it cannot be the highest purpose of trade.

For the true prosperity of a business lies not in the number of transactions it records, but in the trust it earns, the independence it preserves, and the lasting value it creates.

References

¹ Datum Intelligence. Festive Barometer 2026: The Season's Outcome. November 2026.
https://datumintell.com/report-festive-barometer-2026

² ETRetail / IANS. India's online festive sales grow 17 pc to Rs 1.41 lakh crore: Report. 12 November 2026.
https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/e-commerce/e-tailing/indias-online-festive-sales-grow-17-pc-to-rs-1-41-lakh-crore-report/135757369

³ Datum Intelligence. 2026 Festive AdEx: A Third of India's Ad Year Is Festive, and It Is Moving to the Checkout. 2026.
https://datumintell.com/report-festive-adex-2026

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