The data: Roughly 1 in 5 US shoppers (19%) regularly opt for ultrafast delivery options, according to a Kearney report.

Why it matters: While these consumers continue to be a minority, their ranks are growing as Walmart, Amazon, and third-party delivery platforms make fast, on-demand delivery more accessible.

This matters because consumers who rely more on quick commerce have different shopping behaviors than those who don’t.

• Regular users of ultrafast delivery are twice as likely to make impulse purchases (76%) as non-users (38%), probably because the ability to get items almost immediately makes instant gratification possible.
• These consumers are also less loyal, typically have smaller baskets, and are less likely to plan meals in advance.
• Nearly three-quarters (72%) only shop when a need arises, compared with 41% of non-users, reflecting a wholesale shift in how these consumers approach purchase decisions.

Implications for retailers: The push for faster fulfillment is changing consumers’ expectations. The ability to get items delivered quickly—and often for free—is causing shoppers to reconsider how and when they shop, resulting in smaller, more frequent trips closer to the point of need.

That will benefit players like Walmart and Amazon that already have infrastructure to support quick commerce and are investing in areas like drone delivery that would make fulfillment even faster. While few retailers can match those delivery capabilities on their own, partnerships with third-party platforms like Uber, DoorDash, and Instacart could help narrow the gap.

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