Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) announced a renewed focus on quick commerce during its Q1 FY2026-27 earnings call on July 17, 2026. The company plans to invest heavily in its online retail business over the next three years, aiming to double Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) for Reliance Retail. This push includes expanding dark stores, growing omni-channel platforms, and scaling JioMart, which now delivers groceries in under 30 minutes across 5,500 pin codes, according to medianama.com.
Dinesh Taluja, CFO and Head of Corporate Development at Reliance Retail, outlined the strategy to ramp up digital commerce across verticals despite a conscious reduction in retail margins. The redesigned JioMart app was relaunched during the quarter, contributing to a 116% year-on-year growth in grocery digital orders. Ajio Rush, the fashion quick-commerce service, saw orders increase 136% quarter-on-quarter. This marks Reliance’s second attempt at quick commerce after the 2023 failure of JioMart Express, which struggled with weak unit economics.
The renewed quick commerce strategy differs from the previous model by leveraging Reliance’s extensive physical store footprint rather than relying solely on a dark-store network. This approach aims to improve unit economics and delivery efficiency. The quick commerce sector in India is highly competitive, with players like Swiggy and Dunzo also investing in rapid delivery services. Reliance’s scale and integration across retail and telecom provide it a unique advantage in this space, as highlighted by the company’s growth metrics during the quarter.
Reliance’s Q1 FY2026-27 earnings call on July 17 also revealed plans to continue expanding its omni-channel platforms and dark stores as part of the three-year growth plan. The company’s focus on quick commerce and digital retail will be closely watched as it aims to capture a larger share of India’s fast-growing e-commerce market, which is expected to reach $200 billion by 2030, according to industry estimates.