Quick Commerce Brands Reduce Influencer Spend, Increase Search Advertising
India’s quick commerce brands are restructuring their marketing budgets, moving away from influencer-heavy discovery campaigns toward search-led advertising. As platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart capture real-time purchase intent, brands are prioritising visibility at the exact moment consumers are ready to buy.
From Discovery to Immediate Intent
For years, influencer marketing and social media powered awareness for D2C and FMCG brands.
That equation is changing.
Quick commerce platforms now function as high-intent demand engines, not just fulfilment layers. Consumers open these apps with a clear objective—purchase within minutes—making search visibility more valuable than broad-reach influencer impressions.
Industry data indicates that over 70% of quick commerce orders originate from urgent or top-up missions, reinforcing why brands are reallocating budgets toward intent capture.
Search Advertising Takes Priority on Q-Commerce Platforms
Brands are increasingly investing in on-platform search ads, sponsored listings, and category placements across:
- Blinkit
- Zepto
- Swiggy Instamart
- BigBasket Now
Unlike social ads, these formats target users already searching for specific products, brands, or use-cases.
This mirrors mature marketplace behaviour seen earlier on Amazon and Flipkart, where search ads became the dominant revenue driver.
Why Influencer Spend Is Being Re-evaluated
1. ROAS Pressure on Emerging Brands
According to seller reports, influencer-led campaigns on social platforms often deliver ROAS between 1.2x and 1.5x, leaving limited margin after platform fees, logistics, and discounts.
For self-funded and early-stage brands, this makes influencer-heavy strategies increasingly difficult to sustain.
2. Lower Attribution Confidence
Brands struggle to measure true incrementality from influencer campaigns, especially when discovery happens on social platforms but conversion occurs elsewhere.
In contrast, quick commerce search ads offer direct attribution to orders, making performance easier to evaluate.
India’s Advertising Market Is No Longer a Duopoly
For over a decade, digital advertising in India was dominated by:
- Google
- Meta
Together, they accounted for over ₹50,000 crore in annual ad revenues.
A third pillar has now emerged: commerce advertising.
Approximate annual ad revenues:
- Amazon: ₹8,000 crore
- Flipkart: ₹6,000 crore
- Zomato, Swiggy, Zepto: ₹3,000–3,500 crore
This positions commerce platforms as a structural equal to search and social.
Quick Commerce Conversion Reality Check
While intent is high, conversion economics remain challenging.
According to Datum Intelligence:
- Quick commerce ad conversions range between 3–8%
- Amazon and Flipkart typically deliver 5–8%
Combined with higher platform fees, brands are now optimising search relevance, availability, and geo-targeting rather than expanding top-funnel influencer spend.
How Brands Are Optimising Q-Commerce Search
High-performing advertisers are focusing on:
- Keyword clustering across categories and use-cases
- Geo-specific inventory routing to avoid out-of-stock clicks
- City-level or cluster-level holdout tests to measure true lift
- Cross-category targeting to improve discovery over time
This mirrors marketplace flywheel dynamics, where sustained optimisation improves relevance and conversion efficiency.
Quick Commerce Market Growth in India
According to Redseer:
- India’s quick commerce market is projected to reach USD 5.5–6 billion by 2025
- Tier-1 cities contribute ~80% of demand, with Tier-2 expansion accelerating
- 70%+ of users repurchase within a week
Impulse-led categories now account for nearly 30% of total orders, increasing the strategic value of search visibility.
Why Quick Commerce Advertising Matters Now
Quick commerce platforms allow brands to influence decisions during micro-moments, when urgency is highest and alternatives are limited.
As competition shifts from “fast delivery” to “profitable delivery,” advertising inventory within these platforms is becoming more structured, measurable, and performance-driven.
Industry observers, including Digilogy, track this shift closely as commerce media reshapes how brands balance discovery, intent, and profitability in India’s digital ecosystem.
FAQs
What is quick commerce advertising in India?
Quick commerce advertising refers to paid product visibility formats within platforms like Blinkit and Zepto, targeting users ready to purchase immediately.
Why are brands reducing influencer marketing spend?
Lower ROAS, weak attribution clarity, and rising costs have pushed brands to prioritise measurable, intent-led channels.
Are quick commerce ads more effective than social ads?
They perform better for bottom-funnel intent capture, but require careful optimisation to manage fees and inventory availability.
Which categories perform best on quick commerce platforms?
Groceries, snacks, personal care, OTC pharma, beauty, gifting, and impulse-led essentials.
Is quick commerce replacing Amazon and Flipkart?
No. It complements marketplaces by serving urgent, high-frequency purchase missions rather than planned buying.
Highlighted Entities Used
Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, BigBasket Now, Amazon, Flipkart, Google, Meta, Redseer, Datum Intelligence
final Takeaway
Industry observers, includingDigilogy, track this shift closely as commerce media reshapes how brands balance discovery, intent, and profitability in India’s digital ecosystem.
