As quick commerce continues to expand and grow in India, concerns are mounting about these apps’ certain business practices.
A new survey has brought to the fore a complaint we have often heard and read about on social media: of expired or near-expiry products or those with missing manufacturing dates being delivered by these 10-minute delivery apps.
While a large chunk of consumers in tier 1 and tier 2 cities may have become dependent on these apps for their daily grocery needs, they have not shied away from raising their voice when it comes to being cheated in the name of being handed products past their shelf life.
While the apps may eventually replace products in many of these cases, the issue highlights a business practice where these quick commerce companies are resorting to unfair means to clear their inventory and leave their customers hassled.
Not every consumer checks the expiry date, not every user is suspicious enough to inspect the entire delivery. In many of the cases, consumers end up using these expired or near-expiry items, posing a significant health risk to the family.
This has led to an erosion of trust which had developed between consumers and these apps – built through convenience, reliability and better prices.
This was highlighted by the online survey conducted by Times Now Digital.
“Nearly 52 per cent of respondents reported receiving either expired or near-expiry products. Of these, 33.5 per cent said they had received products close to their expiry date, while 18.9 per cent said they had received products that had already expired — together accounting for 52.4 per cent of responses, or more than one in two users,” the survey found.
“Another 27.9 per cent said they do not use quick-commerce apps at all, a sign that a section of consumers is still staying away from the rapidly expanding delivery model,” it added, highlighting the aspect where a section of the customers still trust and depend on good-old neighbourhood kirana stores or physical large supermarkets to fulfil their grocery and such other needs.
Such customers still believe in the logic that when in a store, they can easily pick up a packet and check the date printed on it before deciding to buy a product. From physical stores, customers don’t just carry back home products, but also assurance about quality and freshness.
The gap and practices exposed by the survey point to a prevalent situation where questions are being asked with regard to quick commerce transparency and consumer rights.
It is pertinent to note that there are legal safeguards already in place in India to check these unfair practices.
While legal metrology compliance is mandatory for every packaged product sold in the country, companies are required to comply with packaging norms including manufacturer/importer details, MRP, batch number, manufacturing & expiry date, net quantity, unit price (where applicable), customer care details, etc.
However, while these details are available on physical packaging, most quick commerce platforms do not display complete information on their product listings. This lack of transparency makes it
difficult for consumers to verify manufacturing dates, expiry dates, and other critical product information before initiating the purchase, thereby increasing the risk of receiving near-expiry products.
As quick commerce becomes mainstream, the big question that is being asked with increasing intensity is: should online platforms be mandated to display all statutory packaging information digitally before a customer checks out?
If we look at this from the brand perspective, regulatory compliance is becoming increasingly important, not just in India but also globally, covering licensing, labelling, trademarks, product registrations, import-export regulations, and governance.
Stelcore, a company that helps brands build compliance-ready businesses through regulatory approvals, licensing, product labelling, trademarks, import-export compliance, and global market entry, said that strengthening digital product transparency will not only improve consumer trust but also encourage higher compliance standards across the e-commerce and quick commerce ecosystem.
“As digital commerce evolves, transparency should evolve alongside it. Consumers deserve access to the same product information online that they can see on a physical package — including manufacturer details, MRP, batch information, expiry date, ingredients, and statutory declarations. Digital convenience should never come at the cost of consumer awareness and informed decision-making,”
As we continue to come across such complaints and surveys, the focus is increasingly now on these fast delivery apps to see whether listen to the complaints and make structural and operational changes to ensure stronger quality control through regular stock audits, better inventory rotation and clearer disclosure of expiry dates on product listings.