Green in a Hurry? The Sustainability–Value Paradox in Customers’ Cognitive Evaluation of Quick Commerce Platforms

Purpose: Quick commerce platforms promise daily essentials within minutes, yet their packaging-intensive, last-mile-heavy model raises doubts about how sustainable they really are. This study examines how customers’ perceptions of a platform’s Sustainable Finance Orientation (SFO) shape their Customer Cognitive Evaluation (CCE) of the platform, with Customer Perceived Value (CPV) as a mediator and Environmental Concern (EC) as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey of 390 quick commerce users in Bengaluru, India, was analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4 with bootstrapping. Findings: SFO significantly enhances CPV (β = 0.253, p < .001). Contrary to expectations, both CPV (β = −0.411, p < .001) and SFO (β = −0.090, p = .035) are negatively related to CCE, and CPV carries a significant negative indirect effect of SFO on CCE (β = −0.104, p < .001), yielding a negative total effect (β = −0.195). EC improves CCE directly (β = 0.158, p < .001) but does not moderate the SFO–CCE relationship. Originality/value: The study uncovers a sustainability–value paradox in ultra-fast retail: customers credit green initiatives with added value, yet judge the platform more critically. Sustainability orientation earns favourable evaluations only when it is credible, verifiable and visibly tied to customer benefits.