Reliance's Fashion Q-Commerce, Eternal Hits Peak, and Raise Financial’s New CFO

When AJIO Rush went live last week, promising delivery of 130,000 fashion styles within four hours across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune, it sent a clear signal that quick fashion delivery had a new heavyweight in the ring. By plugging its service into 2,200 JioMart outlets, Reliance made four‑hour delivery available in over 1,000 cities and 4,200 pincodes overnight. This launch will force every player in the space to rethink their speed, reach and customer promise.

The fashion quick‑commerce market was already on a fast growth track. In FY 25, shoppers spent ₹744 crore on fashion delivered in under four hours. Research firms forecast that figure will jump to ₹2,325 crore by FY 28.

Several players had staked out positions before AJIO Rush arrived. Myntra’s M‑Now offers delivery in 30 minutes to two hours from its network of dark stores. Flipkart’s scale lets it reach dozens of cities with a wide assortment. NewMe promises 90‑minute turnaround on trend‑led designs. Slikk guarantees 60‑minute delivery plus instant returns. KNOT pairs quick delivery with doorstep “try‑on” before purchase. Each of these services excels at a core strength: speed, selection, convenience or returns handling.

Now incumbents are raising the stakes. Reliance Ajio has grocery logistics and retail real estate to cross‑subsidize AJIO Rush as it fine‑tunes pricing and assortment. In August 2025, Myntra added 15 new dark stores across Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru to boost M‑Now capacity after reporting a doubling of daily orders between March and June. Startups feel the squeeze. To survive, they'll need to focus on very specific markets, like local fashion or specialized sizing, and run their operations very efficiently. Many are exploring partnerships with local designers or setting up shared dark‑store networks to cut costs.

Delivering fashion quickly is expensive. Teams must stock hundreds of size, color and style combinations close to customers, driving up rent, inventory and staffing costs. High return rates - 35 to 40 percent in quick‑commerce fashion - add handling and reship fees. To offset this, companies aim for average order values above ₹2,000 and repeat purchase rates over 40 percent. They invest in technology such as AI size recommendation and virtual try‑on to reduce returns and improve conversion.

Winning in this market requires more than speed. Companies must build a seamless end‑to‑end experience. That means accurate inventory forecasting to avoid stockouts, smart routing algorithms to cut delivery times, and hassle‑free return flows that delight rather than frustrate. Omnichannel options - such as click‑and‑collect at retail outlets - add convenience and lower last‑mile costs. Data‑driven personalization of style recommendations creates loyalty that survives the lure of faster rivals.

AJIO Rush’s arrival has reshaped the playing field, but its success is not guaranteed. As players race to outpace each other on delivery times, the true test will be who can deliver the right outfit in the right size at the right time, over and over again.

Let’s go through what else is happening in Indian startup world - Grab your simmering cup of StartupChai.in and unwind with our hand-brewed memes.

“Ye Toh Thodi Dikkat Ho Gayi”: Foxconn’s Telangana Plant Faces Rare Earths Shortage, Production Hit

Foxconn’s shiny new Telangana plant, which makes key components for AirPods, has hit a snag - a shortage of rare earths like neodymium, mostly mined in China. These exotic metals are essential for the magnets inside your earbuds, and without them, production’s taking a hit.

The company’s flagged the issue to the Telangana government, hoping for some local magic to untangle this global supply knot.

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“I’m Unstoppable”: Eternal hits 2025 peak as shares jump 12% on robust Q1 growth

Eternal just hit a 2025 high on the stock charts, with shares jumping 12% after a stellar Q1 showing 70% revenue growth.

Quick commerce, which zoomed past even their food delivery biz in revenue and order value, stealing the spotlight. Looks like Deepinder Goyal’s bet on instant gratification is paying off and the markets are cheering.

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“Aaiye Aapka Intezaar Tha”: Raise Financial Services Ropes In Amit Gupta As Group CFO

Raise Financial just brought in Amit Gupta as its new Group CFO, and it’s more than just a numbers game.

With nearly 20 years of experience across ICICI Bank, IndoStar, and Arka Fincap, Gupta’s no stranger to the finance maze. As Raise scales its fintech ambitions, this veteran’s steady hand could be the compass they need.

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1. Perpule cofounder Abhinav Pathak’s new venture, Escape Plan, just bagged $5 Mn in seed funding to reshape how India packs for travel. With a full stack of luggages, slings, and pouches, the startup’s betting big on an omnichannel blitz across stores, ecomm, and quick commerce.
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2. Bengaluru-based ApClub has raised Rs 2 Cr in pre-seed funding from Curefit to pump up its doorstep fitness services. With eyes set on hitting $1 Mn ARR by FY26, the startup is flexing for serious growth.
   Read more here