India’s digital advertising landscape is seeing a clear reordering as quick commerce platforms steadily pull ad budgets away from traditional e-commerce giants. Brands across FMCG, food, wellness, and personal care are reallocating a significant share of their marketing spends to Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart, drawn by stronger conversion rates and faster sales outcomes.
Industry executives and media buyers say some brands have moved as much as 50 to 55 percent of their digital advertising budgets to quick commerce channels over the past year. The reason is simple. Consumers opening these apps are not browsing casually. They arrive with a clear purchase need, often for daily essentials, and complete transactions within minutes. This high intent translates into lower acquisition costs and quicker attribution of sales.
Data from advertising agencies tracking retail media shows that quick commerce advertising in India is now valued at over ₹5,800 crore, or roughly $700 million. That figure has grown about 40 percent in just six months and has nearly doubled over the past three years. By comparison, Amazon India and Flipkart together still account for an estimated ₹14,000 crore in retail media revenue, but their growth is slower.
Brands like Wellbeing Nutrition and Plum Goodness have cited higher returns on ad spend and faster product movement on quick commerce platforms, particularly for repeat purchase categories. Large FMCG players are also using these apps to push new SKUs and drive immediate off take in metro markets, treating sponsored listings as digital shelf space with instant impact.
While Amazon and Flipkart continue to lead on reach, discovery, and high value purchases, quick commerce is carving out dominance in everyday consumption. Marketing teams increasingly see the platforms as complementary rather than competing channels. One builds awareness at scale, the other converts intent into sales almost instantly.
With faster delivery shaping consumer behaviour, advertisers expect quick commerce to claim a larger share of digital budgets over the next two to three years, especially as platforms invest further in targeting tools and retail media capabilities.
