Experimental to essential: How q-comm firms carve bigger pie of ads market

A new cohort of players is challenging long-established digital giants in India's $14 billion advertising market. Quick commerce firms originally built to deliver groceries in under 10 minutes, are now moving aggressively into the advertising space, armed with vast troves of consumer data.

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These companies are increasingly attracting marketing budgets that once flowed predictably toward platforms like Google and Meta. Their ability to deliver real-time, contextually targeted ads, often just minutes before or after a purchase, has added a potent layer to the digital marketing mix.

“Advertising has always depended on intent, identity, and timing,” said Vivek Bhargava, co-founder of consumr.ai and a veteran digital marketer. “Google captured intent, Meta refined identity targeting, and now quick commerce is delivering real-time context at the moment of purchase.”

From Experimental to Essential

What was once considered an experimental spend has quickly become a permanent fixture in many media plans, according to Pranav Agarwal, co-founder of SW Network. These platforms not only know what a user buys but when and how often, critical inputs for brands seeking precise, performance-led campaigns.

Rishabh Mahendru, vice president at AdLift (recently acquired by Liqvd Asia), noted that platforms like Zepto are leveraging internal creative teams to produce campaigns with rapid turnaround times, tailored to hyperlocal audiences and optimized through first-party data.

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And advertisers are paying attention. FMCG brands, personal care labels and direct-to-consumer (D2C) startups are gravitating toward these quick commerce platforms, especially for hyperlocal and high-intent campaigns. Companies like Slurrp Farm and Farmley have reportedly seen upticks in both visibility and sales through such channels, according to Vaishal Dalal, founder of Excellent Publicity.

A Platform That Sells and Tells

At Zepto, the shift is part of a larger ambition to position itself as more than a distribution channel.

Quick commerce is no longer just about deliveries, it’s a full-fledged brand-building platform, said Chandan Mendiratta, Zepto’s chief brand and culture officer. “Advertisers are moving budgets away from generic digital media and toward platforms that promise speed, precision and measurable ROI.”

According to Mendiratta, Zepto's ad products, ranging from sponsored listings to full category takeovers, can go live within 48 hours, with features like dynamic geo-targeting and built-in A/B testing. Although the company did not share financial figures, executives claimed strong monetization growth and suggested that quick commerce platforms could capture a “significant share” of India’s ₹5,000 crore retail media market by the end of 2025.

Brands such as Apple, Orient, Daily Objects, Noise, Libas and Manyavar have already partnered with Zepto for brand visibility initiatives, signaling a growing trust in these nascent media networks.

Big Tech’s Scale vs. Commerce's Context

Despite the enthusiasm, platforms like Google and Meta remain formidable competitors, thanks to their unmatched scale and advanced AI tools. Meta, for instance, offers businesses the ability to launch, edit and manage multiple ads simultaneously, capitalizing on years of infrastructure investment and global reach.

Yet even here, the gap is narrowing. E-commerce giants like Amazon and ride-hailing services such as Uber have long understood the value of owning both audience data and creative execution. According to Sushant Sadamate, co-founder of Buzzlab, these companies created closed-loop systems that deliver strong ROI without heavy reliance on external agencies.

“The real question isn’t Meta versus Zepto,” Sadamate said. “It’s about who can offer brands a real-time, context-aware, outcome-driven advertising experience. That’s where the market is headed.”

The advertising revenue generated by q-commerce platforms is currently estimated at approximately ₹3,000 crore and is projected to exceed ₹5,000 crore by the end of 2025. In contrast, leading e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart collectively reported advertising revenue of over ₹11,500 crore in the fiscal year 2023–24.

But, as the advertising landscape continues to fragment, one trend is clear: The closer a platform is to the moment of transaction, and the more insights it can generate from that interaction, the more valuable it becomes to advertisers. And in that equation, quick commerce platforms may be poised for a surprisingly outsized role.