Journal Press India^®

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Purpose: The consumer needs are rapidly changing and shifting more towards online purchasing primarily for convenience, along with price consciousness and short delivery time. To meet these consumer needs, there are many platforms developed in recent years, and the most recent advancement that has happened in online e-commerce is the launch of Quick Commerce. The concept behind this quick commerce is to meet the needs of consumers rapidly, which led to the emergence and launch of dark stores, which are known as micro fulfilmentcentres. By systematically reviewing the existing literature over the years, this study helps to establish the relationship between e-commerce and the emergence and growth of dark stores, which are a part of quick commerce. Design/Methodology/Approach: A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted using peer-reviewed articles published between 2021 to 2025, and also analysed articles with the most citations related to dark stores and quick commerce. A compiled RIS data set was analysed using VOS viewer for Bibliographic coupling of keywords, Quick Commerce and Dark Stores, and keyword frequency analysis. Findings: The analysis identifies “quickcommerce” as a central the matic node linked to three primary clusters: (1) operational efficiency (e.g., logistics, automation, last-mile delivery); (2) consumer behavior (e.g., convenience, customer satisfaction, pricing); and (3) economic considerations (e.g., cash burn, omni channel retail). Research Limitations: There view is limited to the English language and also region-specific data bases from indexed academic research sources. Managerial Implications: Findings will create insights for supply chain managers, marketing analytics of Q-Commerce platforms, and urban planners seeking to optimize delivery networks using dark store infrastructure. Originality/Value: This is one of the first systematic reviews to compile existing literature on dark stores in Q-Commerce, which is offering a structured conceptual foundation for future research.

Keywords

Quick Commerce, Dark Store, Last-Mile Delivery, Consumer Behavior, Logistics Innovation, Systematic Review of Literature