Determinants of Operational Efficiency in Quick Commerce Dark Stores: An Empirical Study from Bengaluru

With Quick commerce rapidly gaining momentum, the need for effective operating models,
especially for Dark stores, is increasing dramatically. This paper focuses on the most critical
aspects for operational efficiency in Quick Commerce. Through the lens of the existing body of
knowledge, this paper identifies Five Determinants of Operational Efficiency; Inventory
management, last-mile delivery efficiency, technology integration, demand forecasting, and
workforce efficiency. Employing a quantitative research design, 350 customers, delivery staff,
and operations staff from retailers in Bengaluru were approached as the primary data sources.
Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed for data
analysis. The results demonstrate that all the five determinants have significant effects on
operational efficiency. Of these, last-mile delivery efficiency was found to be the most critical
determinant, followed by inventory management and workforce efficiency. While technology
integration and demand forecasting played supportive but important roles in enhancing
operational performance, the model demonstrated a good explanatory power. The findings are
critical for researchers and practitioners seeking to increase operational performance in timesensitive Retail Environments. Most importantly, the study indicates that a combination of logistics, technology, and workforce approaches can enable sustainable operational
performance in fast-growing Quick commerce environment.