Emerging Trends in India's Pharmaceutical Retail Market Driven by Quick-Commerce
Drugs at your door: Signs of a disruption taking shape in India
The Economic TimesImage: The Economic Times
India's pharmaceutical retail market is witnessing a shift towards convenience-driven consumption as quick-commerce platforms, like Zepto, expand into medicine delivery. While overall sales growth remains flat, repeat-use wellness products are gaining traction, indicating changing consumer preferences in purchasing patterns.
- 01Quick-commerce platforms are entering the pharmaceutical market, influencing consumer buying habits.
- 02Total pharmaceutical sales in India remained flat, with a decline to around ₹20,000 crore by March 2026.
- 03Repeat-use wellness brands are seeing growth, while acute-care brands are declining.
- 04The OTC drug market in India is projected to grow from ₹47,000 crore to ₹98,000 crore by 2030.
- 05Quick-commerce is reshaping consumption patterns but has not yet led to a significant increase in overall sales.
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India's pharmaceutical retail market is undergoing a behavioral shift as quick-commerce platforms expand their reach into medicine delivery. Data from research firm Pharmarack indicates that total sales remained largely flat, declining to around ₹20,000 crore by March 2026. However, there is a noticeable divergence in brand performance; repeat-use wellness products, such as Centrum Silver and chronic therapies like Glycitop, are experiencing mid-to-high single-digit growth, while several acute-care brands are seeing declines. This trend reflects changing consumer preferences, particularly among younger and health-conscious consumers, as noted by Sujay Shetty, Global Leader of Health Industries at PwC India. The entry of quick-commerce startup Zepto, which launched a 10-minute medicine delivery service in major cities like Delhi-NCR and Mumbai, exemplifies this shift. Despite the potential for growth, the overall market remains flat, indicating that quick-commerce is redistributing demand rather than expanding it. The OTC drug market is projected to grow significantly, but structural constraints and regulatory frameworks limit the speed of transformation. As quick-commerce platforms continue to evolve, they are likely to reshape consumption patterns, particularly in the wellness segment.
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The shift towards quick-commerce in the pharmaceutical sector may lead to more convenient access to wellness products for consumers, particularly in urban areas.
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