Rs 12-15 per shipment: festive delivery pay falls even as quick commerce demand for riders rises
27 October 2026 · 2 min read · HireHo
Based on a festive gig-work report dated 25 October 2026 that cites staffing firms, summarised in HireHo's own words. Summarised in our own words.
A festive-season report quoting staffing firms says gig work rose about 18% in quick commerce and about 12% in e-commerce. But pay for e-commerce delivery fell sharply.
Fewer seasonal hires than planned
Traditional e-commerce platforms hired about 20% to 30% fewer seasonal workers than they planned. In the first 10 days of the big online sales, dispatches fell about 10% to 12% from last year. Warehouse headcount still rose about 12% year on year, mainly because of new warehouses and new cities, not temporary festive hiring.
What riders earn, as reported
- E-commerce delivery: about Rs 12-15 per shipment, down from Rs 25-28 last year
- Quick commerce: about Rs 20-30 per order, with peak-time incentives of about Rs 8-15 in some cases
- Fixed pay makes up about 80-85% of worker earnings, and the rest is incentives and bonuses
What this means for you
- Compare per-order pay and peak bonuses on two or three apps before you join.
- Quick commerce has had more work than e-commerce this season.
- Ask how much of your pay is fixed and how much depends on orders.
The report quotes unnamed staffing firms and gives averages. Actual pay varies by city and platform.