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India's online retail market is projected to cross USD 90 billion in 2026, registering an annual growth of 22-24 per cent, its fastest expansion in five years, driven by everyday consumption categories like grocery rather than mobile phones, Redseer Strategy Consultants said in a report. According to the analysis, e-commerce gross merchandise value (GMV) expanded roughly 25 per cent year-on-year to about USD 38 billion in the first half (H1) of 2026, marking its strongest H1 performance in four years. While online retail accelerated, mobile sales remained flat at 0 per cent growth during the first half and are projected to grow by just 2-3 per cent across the full year due to sharp price increases curbing sales volumes. Consequently, the grocery segment is poised to overtake mobile phones as the second-largest category in Indian e-commerce, behind fashion. "This year, India's online retail is growing fastest where demand is steadiest," said Kushal Bhatnagar, Partner at Redseer. Th
Quick commerce platform Zepto on Thursday announced its entry into the online pharmacy segment with the launch of 'Zepto Pharmacy', promising medicine delivery within 10 minutes in select metropolitan areas. The service has been rolled out in specific locations across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, and Hyderabad, Zepto Co-Founder and CEO Aadit Palicha said in a post on LinkedIn. The launch follows a 12-month pilot phase focused on refining operations, he said. "Today, we're formally announcing the launch of Zepto Pharmacy - Medicines delivered in 10 minutes! Over the past 12 months, the team has worked tirelessly to perfect the customer experience, supply chain, and compliance at a small scale, and we want to grow it steadily from here. Our objective is to keep operational standards extremely high and not scale too rapidly, given the complexity of this category," he wrote. The move marks Zepto's expansion beyond its core 10-minute grocery delivery model, placing it in competition wi