The recent central government intervention to stop quick commerce firms from making 10-minute delivery their USP has not come a day too soon. Two things must be noted at the outset. First, 10 minutes should not be read literally. It should be interpreted to ban unrealistic and dangerous delivery timelines, say 12 minutes or 15 minutes, because if it is put in a straitjacket of 10 minutes, firms will resort to creative interpretation, much like airlines do to circumvent UDAN norms—you cannot charge more than Rs 2,500 if the flight is of less than one-hour duration; ergo, increase the time duration to one hour and five minutes.

Second, the ban is not directed at grocers, including greengrocers, alone. It extends to food delivery apps as well. For that matter, it applies to any delivery executed through any e-commerce portal.

The myth and mechanics of 10-minute delivery

It was never as if the 10-minute delivery promise was taken as holy writ. It was essentially a sales pitch, although it must be conceded that, on average, online orders were delivered within 25 minutes, thanks to dark stores being located close to customers—much faster than marketplace-model e-commerce firms, which on average deliver in two to three days.

Quick commerce delivery apps also resort to gimmicks, including freezing countdown clocks until the delivery partner is ready, to foster the........

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