Profitable Same-Day Grocery Delivery:
Lessons from Rohlik Group and Veloq

Consumer expectations across all markets are driving a shift toward greater convenience. According to Brick Meets Click and Mercatus, U.S. online grocery sales are heading to be over $110bn billion in 2025. Within that, delivery accounted for a significant and growing share. Recent data from Digital Commerce 360 indicates that delivery grew by 31% year-over-year as of June 2025, reaching around 39% share of online grocery sales that month—highlighting both the scale and momentum of the same-day segment.

Retail giants are adapting accordingly, locking in sub-day norms. Amazon is extending same-day and next-day to 4 000 rural communities and Walmart targeting 95% population coverage with 3-hour delivery by Q4 2025.

Europe is following a similar trajectory; research projects €167 billion in online grocery spend by 2028 with double-digit CAGR in same-day services (renub.com). Same-day services are gaining traction not as a luxury but as a competitive baseline. Grocers are racing to meet evolving customer expectations while trying to find a path to sustainable economics.

Despite this demand, many players have struggled to make the model work. The downfall of several ultra-fast delivery startups reveals that speed alone doesn't translate to profitability. Rohlik's experience provides a path—focused not on minutes but on mission-critical fundamentals: customer experience, full-basket size, and operational excellence.

Operating in five European markets, Rohlik delivers 70,000 orders daily with an average of 30 items per basket covering a full range of groceries. In its home market, Rohlik has transformed the Czech Republic from an e-grocery laggard into a European leader.

Its economics are anchored in three principles:

1. 1.
   Full-Basket Orders: Large average order values justify picking and delivery costs, unlike the small-basket, subsidized models of instant delivery players.
2. 2.
   Same-Day, Not Ultra-Fast: Delivery within 3–6 hours balances customer expectations with operational efficiency.
3. 3.
   Customer-Centric Proposition: Broad assortment, high product availability, and reliable delivery windows drive loyalty.

Rohlik's market-leading Net Promoter Scores and strong retention rates affirm that customers value reliability and quality over speed gimmicks.

Veloq, spun out of Rohlik, offers a modular automation platform natively designed for same-day, full-basket grocery delivery. Its capabilities include:

• •Handling the full, complex, grocery range across different FC sizes.
• •Advanced routing and delivery optimization, enabling fast delivery and tight time windows.
• •Fulfillment centres optimised for efficiency and right sized for the markets they serve.
• •AI-driven forecasting and real-time decisioning, to dynamically allocate inventory, optimize workforce planning, and enhance customer experience.

By embedding these tools, Veloq enables efficient scaling without the bloat and complexity seen in legacy retail systems

Rohlik proves that same-day grocery can be profitable under the right model. For traditional grocers and new entrants, the implications are clear:

• •Shift focus to full-basket profitability instead of racing to be the fastest.
• •Invest in scalable tech infrastructure that allows modular deployment.
• •Design operations for density and reliability, not just speed.

As retailers across Western markets continue to evolve their last-mile strategies, the Rohlik-Veloq model offers a replicable, ROI-positive path.