‘Ad to cart’ gets costlier for brands: Q-comm platforms double rates ahead of festivals

India’s leading quick commerce (Q-comm) platforms such as Zepto, Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart are ramping up their advertising strategies ahead of the festive season, with significant hikes in ad rates across key formats.

Industry insiders reveal that ad rates on some Q-comm platforms have surged by 25–35% in high-demand categories—particularly FMCG, snacks, beverages, and home essentials. The aim is to monetise the festive shopping frenzy and convert the market into a high-stakes contest for visibility. 

While rate hikes vary by inventory type and city, ad executives report a sharp increase—up to 50%—in high-demand slots, especially across top metros.

“It’s purely a demand-and-supply game,” says a media planner, requesting anonymity. With hundreds of FMCG and personal care brands competing for visibility on Q-commerce platforms, the festive season becomes a high-stakes battleground, as marketers aim to maximise conversions during a period known for delivering windfall gains, he noted. 

Mitchelle Rozario Jansen, Senior Vice President, Business Strategy & Growth at White Rivers Media, echoes the sentiments, “Q-commerce platforms have recalibrated their advertising strategies with 40–50% rate increases across core festive categories. Premium formats, especially homepage banners and sponsored product placements, now require monthly spends ranging from ₹2–3 lakh on some platforms to as high as ₹7.5 lakh on others.”

In terms of brand categories, FMCG, personal care, and snacking brands are leading the quick commerce spends this year. HUL, Nestle, ITC and even newer D2C entrants in the beauty and wellness space are actively investing in these platforms for instant visibility and conversion-led activations, an industry leader noted. 

“Quick commerce has evolved from a convenience idea to a fierce advertising arena—where visibility is costly, and brands need to invest boldly to attract consumers ready to buy immediately,” observes Sajal Gupta, CEO of Kiaos Marketing.

“Ad rates reflect the surge in consumer demand on these platforms,” quips Sayak Mukherjee, founder and director of Brandwizz Communications and Creator Cult Media. He adds, “While the increased rates may seem aggressive, brands with agile campaign planning and sharp creatives are still seeing strong ROI, especially when integrated with festive-specific offers or flash deals.”

e4m reported earlier this week that brands have tripled their ad spends on Q-comm over the past year, increasingly viewing these platforms as high-ROI destinations for both discovery and conversion. 

Q-comm platforms are poised for a sharp rise in ad revenue, with industry experts projecting a jump from ₹3,000 crore in CY2024 to over ₹5,000 crore by end-2025. While still trailing ecommerce giants, this growth is significant—amounting to nearly half the ad revenue generated by Amazon India and Flipkart, which together raked in over ₹11,600 crore in FY24. 

What stands out is the platforms’ ability to drive significant advertising returns, now accounting for nearly half the ad revenue generated by much larger e-commerce operators despite a comparatively smaller user base, Jansen points out. 

Packages 

Platforms are also rolling out structured onboarding systems that require brands to commit to advertising packages ranging from several lakhs to over a crore, often across multiple cities. These models shift the focus from per-transaction fees to upfront advertising commitments, encouraging continuous spends to maintain presence on the platform.

“Swiggy Instamart has rolled out the most structured approach with a three-tiered onboarding system, requiring brands to select packages ranging from ₹4.5 lakh to ₹9 lakh over three months. The ‘Silver package’ allows four stock-keeping units (SKUs) across two cities, while the premium ‘Diamond package’ covers 10 SKUs across nine cities,” a media planner told e4m.

Zepto is believed to have adopted an even more aggressive stance, with new and small brands expected to commit ₹2 lakh to ₹7.5 lakh per month for advertising. Some categories, sources say, are priced at ₹2.5 lakh per SKU per month.

While BigBasket is believed to charge ₹15,000 per SKU per state as an onboarding fee, Blinkit now reportedly asks for ₹25,000 per SKU.

Marketers say the real pressure begins after a product is listed. Sellers often nudge brands to ramp up advertising budgets, pushing for sustained spending to maintain visibility.

This has led to what one brand founder calls an “advertising dependency cycle.” The strategy hinges on converting organic visibility into paid placements—essentially turning digital shelf space into monetised real estate, ad executives told e4m.

e4m reached out to Zepto, Blinkit (Zomato), Swiggy Instamart, and BigBasket for comments. While Zepto and Zomato declined to comment, Swiggy and BigBasket’s responses were awaited at the time of publishing.