If you're launching a new brand or platform in quick commerce, Bengaluru isn’t just your pilot. It’s your proving ground.
India’s Silicon Valley is often the first city where new features, platforms, and SKUs go live. But what do its digitally savvy consumers really want when they open their favorite quick commerce app?
Using e-receipt data collected by Vumonic Datalabs from thousands of March 2025 transactions on Swiggy Instamart for Bengaluru, we uncovered five powerful and sometimes surprising insights that every growth or insights team should take note of.
1. Everyday Essentials Drive Volume
Top products by volume: Toned milk, curd, coriander, onions and tomatoes.
Bengaluru isn’t just using Instamart for last-minute snacks or novelty buys. It’s treating it like a digital kirana. The platform has seamlessly replaced the neighborhood store for the city’s daily essentials. For brands, the takeaway is clear. Visibility for daily staples and complementary products drives loyalty and repeat usage more than seasonal spikes.
2. Evening Hours Are the Prime Commerce Window
Peak ordering window: 7 PM to 9 PM saw the highest number of unique orders
Picture the post-office commute. Instead of stopping at a grocery store or vegetable stall, Bengaluru’s working professionals are placing Instamart orders while in transit or just after logging off. Quick commerce has become the transition ritual from work life to home life. This two-hour window is the sweet spot for promotions, flash deals and new product launches.
3. Late-Night Demand Balances Craving and Convenience
Top late-night items: Flyers Snacc chips, Classic Ice Burst ice cream, white eggs, Bisleri water and sale flyers
It’s not just cravings. It’s calculated convenience. While chips and ice cream point to indulgence, eggs and bottled water show clear utility. Even sale flyers get added to the cart, suggesting that users remain open to discovery. Quick commerce at night is both functional and curious, making it a valuable moment to push essential plus-experimental combos.
4. Subtle Gender Trends in Product Preferences
Women: More personal care, beauty and baby or kids products Men: More electronic accessories, health supplements and kitchen gadgets Both: Around 78 percent of orders are grocery-led!
The differences are not dramatic, but they are consistent. These trends suggest that even within a unified basket like groceries, there’s room for soft personalization in offers and messaging.
5. Shoppers Prioritize Reliability Over Discounts
Average order value: ₹449 Orders above ₹500: Over 25% in March Coupon usage: Lower than expected
This is not a discount-driven audience. Bengaluru shoppers are willing to pay a premium for speed, certainty and convenience. The data suggests that brands and platforms should focus on trust, reliability and product availability rather than race-to-the-bottom pricing. Delivery time and ease of experience outweigh minor cost savings.
Why This Matters
This analysis was built using Vumonic Datalabs’ e-receipt intelligence. By collecting real transaction data from consumer inboxes, we uncover how urban India shops across time, platform and category with accuracy and scale that surveys can’t match.
If you want to understand buying behavior on Instamart, Bigbasket, or track category trends, retention and share of wallet across channels, we’d love to collaborate.
📩 Want to see what your category looks like inside our dashboards? Reach out to Vumonic Datalabs for a custom walkthrough or data deep dive!