Quick Commerce

This time it's serious: How kiranas are fighting back

Anuj Suvarna

June 23, 2025 | 12 Min Read

Kiranas have realised the scale of the threat from the quick commerce juggernaut and are transforming themselves into micro-fulfillment centres to remain relevant and survive, but the shift will not be easy for all.

Key Takeaways

Kirana stores face an existential crisis from quick commerce. All surveyed owners report major declines in delivery orders since 2023
Digital adoption flipped from resistance to desperation—stores now chase tech solutions they once rejected
Survivors transform into micro-fulfillment centers, abandoning community relationships for logistics efficiency
Earlier digitisation failed despite $400M+ investment—solutions mismatched real problems like working capital

Three years back, Alok Chawla’s team at Kiko Live had to chase kirana owners to get them to hear about how the Mumbai-based startup could help them set up digital storefronts. They would call shop after shop, pitching various digital tools. Most conversations ended quickly.

Today, Chawla’s team can’t seem to keep up with the incoming requests. The same folks who played hard to get are desperate for his help. “We used to chase 20 stores to onboard one. Now, half our leads are inbound,” says Chawla, who is the Co-founder and CEO of Kiko Live.

It's happening everywhere. Kiranas that survived past threats by relying on relationships and proximity are realising that those weapons aren’t enough against quick commerce. They need technology.

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