Skip to content
New: 10 more stocks, IPOs and Learn, explained

Sector

Consumer Services sector explained

Companies that sell services straight to people, such as food delivery and quick-commerce apps, restaurants, hotels and travel booking. It also covers retail store chains, shopping sites and education firms.

For learning only. Cityfort is not a SEBI-registered adviser and does not recommend buying or selling any security. Prices shown are dated and may be out of date.

Companies we cover

1 company in Consumer Services

  • Eternal

    ETERNAL

    Eternal, formerly Zomato, runs the Zomato and Blinkit delivery apps; it took in ₹54,364 crore in FY26 and kept ₹366 crore as profit.

    Data depth: RichCovers Q2 FY27

How companies in this sector earn

How do Consumer Services companies make money?

  • Delivery and booking apps keep a commission on each order from restaurants, hotels and sellers.
  • Many apps also charge customers delivery or platform fees, and earn advertising money from brands that pay to appear higher.
  • Retail chains and some quick-commerce businesses buy goods and resell them, earning the gap between the two prices.
  • Hotels, travel firms and education companies charge customers directly for rooms, tickets, trips or courses.
  • Big costs are usually delivery riders' pay, rent for stores and warehouses, staff, discounts and marketing.

Who regulates it

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), for restaurants and food sold online · Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), for e-commerce rules, misleading ads and unfair practices · Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), for foreign investment rules in e-commerce and retail · Competition Commission of India (CCI) · Ministry of Labour and Employment, for social security rules covering gig and platform workers · Ministry of Tourism, for voluntary hotel star ratings and approval of travel agents and tour operators

What moves results across the sector

  • Household spending in cities, which drives orders for food delivery, shopping, travel and eating out.
  • Discounts and price competition among delivery and quick-commerce apps.
  • Changes to e-commerce rules, foreign investment rules, GST on services and social security payments for platform workers.
  • Travel demand and hotel room rates around holidays, weddings and large events.

Words you'll meet

Key terms

GOV (gross order value)
The total value of all orders placed through an app, before the app takes its share.
Take rate
The share of order value that a platform keeps as its own revenue.
Quick commerce
Delivery of groceries and daily items within minutes from small nearby warehouses, called dark stores, that serve no walk-in shoppers.
Marketplace and inventory model
In a marketplace the app links buyers with other sellers for a fee; in an inventory model the company owns the goods it sells.
Same-store sales growth
Sales growth at stores open for at least a year, which leaves out the effect of opening new stores.
RevPAR (revenue per available room)
A hotel's room revenue divided by all its rooms, booked or empty. It reflects both room prices and how full the hotel is.

Key facts

Consumer Services in numbers

How much of household spending goes to drinks, snacks and processed food?
In 2023-24 (Aug 2023 to Jul 2024), beverages, refreshments and processed food took 9.84% of average monthly spending per person in rural India, per MoSPI. In urban India the share was 11.09%. Both rose from 2022-23, when they were 9.62% and 10.64%. (Source: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India)
How many platform workers are registered with the government?
About 11.5 lakh platform workers had registered on the government's e-Shram portal, per a PIB backgrounder dated 25 Aug 2026. Platform workers find paid work through apps, such as delivery riders. This counts registrations, not every platform worker. (Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB), Government of India)
How large is India's gig workforce?
NITI Aayog estimated that about 77 lakh people worked in India's gig economy in 2020-21, up from about 68 lakh in 2019-20. The 2020-21 figure was 1.5% of India's total workforce. NITI Aayog called this an estimate of workers with gig-like traits. (Source: NITI Aayog, Government of India)

Sources

  1. Household Consumption Expenditure Survey: 2023-24 (press note), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), Government of India, 27 Dec 2024
  2. 5 Years of e-Shram Portal: Building an Inclusive Social Security Ecosystem, Press Information Bureau (PIB), Government of India, 25 Aug 2026
  3. India's Booming Gig and Platform Economy: Perspectives and Recommendations on the Future of Work, NITI Aayog, Government of India, 27 Jun 2022

Last updated 26 Oct 2026.

Disclaimer

For learning only. Cityfort is not a SEBI-registered adviser and does not recommend buying or selling any security. Prices shown are dated and may be out of date.

Investing in securities involves risk, including loss of capital. Before making any investment decision, do your own research and consider consulting a SEBI-registered investment adviser.

Cityfort, its owners and contributors may or may not hold securities of companies covered. Content is not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.

Read the full disclaimer

Cityfort publishes educational content that explains how listed companies work. Cityfort is not registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) as an Investment Adviser or Research Analyst and does not provide investment advice, recommendations, ratings, price targets or any opinion on whether to buy, sell or hold any security.

All information is taken from publicly available sources, mainly company filings on BSE and NSE, which are listed on each page with dates. We work to keep it accurate and correct errors publicly, but we do not guarantee that it is complete, accurate or up to date. Any market price or price-based ratio shown is dated, may be out of date by the time you read it, and is included only to explain concepts.

Statements by company management are reported as statements, with their date and source; they are not our forecasts.