Quick Commerce startups are asset heavy and vertically integrated, and this starts with real estate. These companies operate via Dark Stores, also referred to as micro-fulfillment centers, which are small warehouses strategically placed around city centers to service their immediate neighborhoods, often with a 1 mile radius service area

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.