In the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, logistics companies are increasingly locked into a race: delivering goods in 60 minutes or less. What began as a retail convenience promise has quickly become a strategic battleground across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and neighbouring states.
Several factors are driving this shift and the prize at stake goes beyond speed - it’s about customer retention, urban density and supply-chain control.
Why the 60-minute Promise Matters
The model of “quick-commerce” - delivering essentials in 10-60 minutes - is gaining real steam in the GCC. In the UAE, for example, quick-commerce is defined as delivery of everyday essentials within that timeframe.
Market research projects that the GCC quick-commerce market will hit US$521 million in 2025 and grow to around US$892 million by 2030 - and importantly it segments delivery-time promises including 31-60 minutes.
Sanctions and the Shadow Fleet: How the War in Ukraine Redrew the Global Oil Shipping Map
The faster a company can promise delivery, the stronger its competitive edge. But this isn’t just about marketing. It’s about handling business-model shifts in logistics, urban infrastructure and customer behaviour.
Key enablers in the GCC
High smartphone and app penetration, urbanised metros with dense residential clusters, and expatriate populations accustomed to convenience. For example in the UAE, app orders and digital payment usage are very high.
Infrastructure: Micro-fulfilment hubs (“dark stores”), decentralised inventories close to customers, and tech including route optimisation. Quick-commerce differs from traditional e-commerce by needing hyperlocal stock placement and faster fulfilment.
Government and regulatory backdrop: Investment in logistics, supportive regulation, and urban layouts that make short-distance delivery viable.
Same-day Grocery Replenishment in Dubai
A resident in Dubai realises they’ve run out of milk, yoghurt and toiletries. They order via an app promising “deliver in 30 minutes.” The items are picked from a dark store in the same neighbourhood and a bike-rider delivers within an hour. In this segment one of the key players is Noon Minutes (UAE) which operates a quick-commerce arm.
Pharma/OTC and Health-essentials in Riyadh
A customer in Riyadh needs over-the-counter medicine and baby nappies. The logistics operator supports a “within-60-minute” promise for such high-urgency items, especially valuable in urban zones where traffic and timing matter. Players like Talabat Mart (via Delivery Hero Group) and Careem Quik are catering to this segment in the GCC.
Electronics or urgent small-goods delivery
Beyond groceries, the model extends. One example: a platform offering a “60-minute electronics delivery” in the UAE. By reducing delivery time, retailers can compete with offline convenience and large-format stores. According to Mordor market research, electronics and accessories are among the categories expanding in quick-commerce.
Restaurant/Food Service Micro-fulfilment
Urban eateries partner with logistics platforms to deliver hot meals or prepared kits within an hour. As customers expect faster service, kitchens integrate with logistics hubs and route optimisation so meals arrive hot and on time. Companies like Instashop (now part of Talabat) play into this model in neighbourhood-dense GCC zones.
Challenges and Trade-offs
Achieving 60-minute delivery is operationally demanding. Inventory must be closer to the customer, meaning many more smaller fulfilment nodes, which raises cost and complexity.
Routing and traffic in congested GCC cities vary dramatically; bikes or small rvans may help but bring cost pressure. Meanwhile, real estate (dark-store leases) in prime urban zones is expensive in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. That eats margins.
Also, as on-demand riders increase, compliance, cost and sustainability (EV fleets, emissions) become key factors. Speed does not always mean profitability: ultra-fast delivery (under 10 minutes) is glamorous but often unprofitable unless order volumes and density support it. Analysts note the “11-30 minute” window may be the real sweet-spot for scale.
Why the Battleground Now
For logistics operators and retailers in the GCC, offering a ~60-minute delivery promise is no longer a nice-to-have; it is becoming a differentiator. Consumers increasingly expect rapid fulfilment for everyday purchases; failure to meet that expectation risks losing them to rivals.
At the same time, the regional economies (UAE, Saudi Arabia) are pushing digital commerce, urban logistics, and non-oil growth — creating incentives, infrastructure and capital for logistics firms to scale. For example, the GCC quick-commerce market is forecast to grow by over 11% CAGR to 2030.
In this environment, the companies that crack this model of balancing speed, cost, and reliability, will win market share.
What’s Next
In the future, expect to see more investment in micro-fulfilment hubs in dense districts, particularly Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. Growth in adjacent categories like pharma, electronics, and front-of-house retail is also expected to spike.
Lastly, innovation in last-mile delivery using EV bikes, lockers, route-optimisation and even drone pilots will drive logistics operations to focus on unit-economics i.e. how to make 60-minute delivery profitable.
New Frontier
In the GCC region, 60-minute delivery has emerged as a new frontier in logistics. For consumers it means convenience and speed; for operators it means agility, density and tech-driven orchestration. As the market grows and expectations firm up, the winners will be those who can deliver fast, reliably and cost-effectively and thereby capture loyalty in an increasingly competitive environment.
Read More: Dark Stores to Power the Next Phase of MENA's e-Commerce Revolution