China’s experience also looks very different from India’s because the underlying models are different. In India, quick commerce has largely been built around dark stores — dedicated warehouses holding inventory that can be delivered quickly. The platform controls stock, pricing, and fulfilment, but it also takes on inventory risk and high fixed

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A third of all US parcels are now delivered by Amazon’s own logistics network

Such speed and convenience is difficult to achieve when your business model is at the mercy of third party merchants fulfilling your orders. These companies must therefore be vertically integrated with a high degree of control over their Dark Stores and courier networks.