A quick commerce order looks like a small version of the weekly shop. But it's actually a different shop altogether. The same people, buying the same products, make different choices when the order is for the next hour. Here we unpack five of those choices and how suppliers can act on them.
When suppliers talk to us about quick commerce, the conversation usually starts with growth. But we know that what category managers really care about is what people are actually doing with it.
There are two kinds of shopping missions in quick commerce. One is a treat for now. The other is a staple that's run out.
We can see this because every order is tagged as either a scheduled weekly shop or a quick commerce order, down to the individual product and the day it was bought. Put the two side by side and we see consistent differences.
One thing to bear in mind as you read. Quick commerce carries a core range rather than the full online assortment, so some of what follows reflects what's listed as much as what shoppers want. If your lines aren't in that range yet, getting them added is a good idea.
Five things we see, and what to do about each
1. Shoppers often pick the same product in a smaller size
What happens: Given a choice of sizes, quick commerce shoppers tend to take the smaller one. Six eggs do better than twelve. The one and two pint milks do better than the six pint. Both sizes are listed and selling in the same stores, so this is a preference rather than a gap in the range. Shoppers also tend to add one of each item rather than two. It's specifically about size: the split between brands and own label is about the same in both channels.
Why: A quick commerce order tends to be built around an immediate need rather than a week of meals, and the smaller pack usually covers it.
What to do: Check that your smallest size is listed for quick commerce and that it stays in stock. Your own shipment figures won't show you this, because both sizes are ordered from you together, so you can't see which one is carrying your quick commerce sales. If a small size is missing from the quick commerce range, raise it. And if a product only comes in a big pack, it's worth asking whether a smaller one would drive more sales.
2. A missing product is less likely to be swapped for something else
What happens: In the weekly shop, an item that's unavailable when the order is picked usually gets replaced with something close. That happens far less often in quick commerce, so the item is more likely to be missing from the order altogether. Nil pick rates run higher as a result. When a substitution does go through, it looks much like one in the weekly shop, typically the same brand in a different size.
Why: A quick commerce order is small and specific. In a weekly shop of forty items, a near alternative is easy to absorb. In an order of four, it's a different decision for the shopper.
What to do: Treat availability in quick commerce as its own job. In the weekly shop, an outage often turns into a sale of the product next to it, sometimes one of yours. In quick commerce it's more likely to turn into no sale at all. Keep an eye on availability for the products that lead your quick commerce demand, especially the small sizes, and make sure the product page and search terms are in good order so the item is found first time.
3. Promotions still land, but multibuys tend not to
What happens: Promoted products take about the same share of the basket in quick commerce as they do in the weekly shop, so a price cut does its job in both. Where the channels diverge is the multibuy. Weekly shoppers stock up and take the multibuy. In quick commerce they're more likely to add single lines. Themed multibuys are the exception, and something like Meal for Tonight does work.
Why: A promotion helps you decide between two products on the page, and that's useful however quickly you're shopping. Buying extra to earn a saving is a different decision.
What to do: The promotional calendar is set centrally, but you choose which products to put forward. Think about which mechanic suits the mission your products are bought on, and suggest that one.
4. Occasions tend to be bought on the day
What happens: In the weekly shop, the Sunday roast arrives with the Friday or Saturday delivery. Quick commerce shoppers order it on Sunday, with Yorkshire puddings and gravy climbing through the day. The Friday and Saturday night in shows up too, in beer, cider, pre-mixed cans and popcorn. Midweek brings the evening meal: the family who haven't decided what to eat, ordering ingredients in time to cook them. Step back and the shape of the week is different. Weekly shop deliveries bunch into Friday to Sunday slots. Quick commerce is spread fairly evenly across all seven days.
Why: Quick commerce takes the planning out of it. You decide on a roast at eleven on Sunday morning and order whatever's missing.
What to do: Match your products to the occasions they serve and note which day each one falls on. Quick commerce demand for an occasion lands on the day itself, so stock needs to be right on the morning, not the day before. Product content earns its keep here as well. Someone searching for gravy at midday on Sunday wants the right product on the first tap.
5. There are two kinds of shopping mission, and they want different things
What happens: The first is a treat for now: bakery, confectionery, energy drinks, pre-mixed cans. The second is a staple that's run out: milk, bread, bottled water, baby milk, nappies. The products that sell least in quick commerce are the ones people plan ahead for.
Why: A quick commerce order happens because you want something now or because something's run out. The treat mission is about the next hour. The run-out mission is about getting through the next day or two.
What to do: Work out which mission each of your products belongs to, because they need different things from you. Treat products need to be seen: in the right category, presented well, and in stock at the times the mission peaks. Run-out staples need to be dependable: the everyday size, kept in stock, easy to find under its plain name.
In closing
All of this feeds into two decisions: what your range should look like and what belongs in your quick commerce assortment. Which pack size works hardest, what happens when your product isn't there, how your promotions land when people buy one at a time, and which occasions your products turn up in. Those answers are sitting in ASDA Xpert.
This article draws on eStore Brands' analysis of ASDA.com e-commerce data, made available to ASDA suppliers through ASDA Xpert. The observations are directional. No performance data, growth figures or category outcomes are disclosed. Supplier-specific findings are shared with the relevant supplier through the platform.
