Hammer Lifestyle Prioritizes Cables Over Premium Headphones for Quick Commerce

D2C consumer brand Hammer Lifestyle is prioritizing immediate-need products, such as charging cables, for quick commerce platforms. The electronics brand is not treating quick commerce as a channel to replicate its entire e-commerce catalog, instead focusing on products suited for rapid consumption.

According to founder Rohit Nandwani, the choice is shaped by consumer shopping habits on quick commerce platforms and the limited shelf space within dark stores. He identified the channel's potential in 2023 after observing a smartwatch ordered via a quick delivery service as a gift. This indicated a shift beyond food and groceries into electronics accessories and other immediately needed items.

Nandwani, however, stressed that not all products are suitable for the quick commerce channel. To be viable in dark stores, products must generate sufficient demand. Premium headphones are typically high-consideration purchases that consumers are less likely to make impulsively.

Quick commerce can be a profitable channel, particularly for newer brands that have faced challenges building traditional distribution networks. While platforms charge margins and brands invest in advertising, costs can be offset by removing distributors. Brands can supply directly to dark stores, saving 8-10% in distributor margins.

Hammer Lifestyle is currently evaluating the profitability of the quick commerce channel. Other industry players, such as 4700BC and Nitro Commerce, emphasize availability, assortment, and advertising (the "3A" model) alongside short replenishment cycles to succeed in the quick commerce market.