Quick commerce fuels boom in ready-to-drink beverage segment

India’s ready-to-drink non-alcoholic beverage market is set to double to $40 billion by 2030, driven by quick commerce and shifting consumption habits. Low per capita intake, rising demand for healthier drinks, and convenience-led purchases are fueling sustained long-term growth

New Delhi: India’s ready-to-drink (RTD) non-alcoholic beverage market has entered a new growth phase, and is expected to double from roughly $20 billion in 2025 to $40 billion by 2030, a report said on Thursday.

The report from Redseer Strategy Consultants said the growth will be driven by the rise of quick commerce, especially in the RTD category that saw over 100 per cent growth.

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It noted a structural shift in consumption patterns from planned stock-up buying to immediate, need-based consumption.

India’s per capita RTD consumption remains at 15–20 litres, significantly below global benchmarks, indicating strong headroom for growth, the report noted.

Indi’s consumption in this category is significantly lower than the 100-120 litres seen in the US, 70-80 litres in China and 60-70 litres in the UK.

The report indicated growing demand for protein drinks, functional hydration, and packaged coconut water. Packaged coconut water accounted for 15–20 per cent of the roughly $900 million category, with over 20 per cent sales enabled by quick commerce.

“Quick commerce is emerging as a disproportionate driver for packaged F&B, especially in categories where immediacy, convenience, and frequency intersect,” the report.

The quick commerce channel is expected to scale from roughly $4 billion today to roughly $25 billion by 2030, capturing a growing share of incremental demand.

While seasonal factors like summer would only amplify demand, the underlying shift is structural and long-term, rooted in evolving consumer behaviour and access, it noted.

Mrigank Gutgutia, Partner, Redseer said the beverages industry will emerge as a clear beneficiary of the new consumption pattern.

“They are high-frequency, often impulse-driven, and in the long-drawn summer season of India, demand becomes even more pronounced and combined with low per capita consumption and a growing preference for healthier formats, this category is set up for sustained, long-term growth,” he said.

Gutgutia urged brands to rethink product innovation, pricing, and channel strategies to capture emerging demand across cohorts and micro-markets.