As millions of Indians turn to quick commerce platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart for everything from groceries to gadgets, companies are increasingly following them with their advertising budgets.
Commerce, driven by retail media, quick commerce and social commerce, has emerged as the fastest-growing segment of India's advertising industry, signalling a broader shift in where marketers believe purchase decisions are being made, Navin Khemka, president – client solutions, WPP Media South Asia, told Mint.
According to WPP Media’s This Year Next Year (TYNY) 2026 report, commerce-led advertising is expected to be the fastest-growing advertising segment in the country this year, expanding at 24.2%. Overall, India’s advertising market is projected to grow 9.7% to over ₹2 trillion in 2026, with digital accounting for 68.1% of total ad revenue.
“If sales are increasing at such high proportions on these platforms, brands have to be there,” Khemka said.
The trend is a departure from traditional advertising that reaches consumers through television or digital platforms before they enter the buying journey. Today, marketers are following consumers closer to the point of purchase, with platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart emerging as important advertising destinations.
“The new money is going into commerce. It is about changing habits,” Khemka said.
The shift comes as quick commerce has expanded beyond grocery deliveries to become a key shopping destination for everything from beauty products and electronics to daily essentials. As consumers increasingly discover and buy products on these platforms, companies are allocating more money to advertising within these apps, where they can also measure sales more directly.
The shift towards commerce advertising is also changing how campaigns are created. Instead of producing one advertisement for television and adapting it elsewhere, brands now need multiple versions tailored to shopping apps, social media, search platforms, connected televisions and other digital channels.
Expanded brand presence
“Today, the need is for differentiated creatives because the number of places where your brand needs presence has increased manifold,” Khemka said.
That has also led to the rise of retail media, where marketplaces and shopping platforms earn advertising revenue by helping brands reach consumers while they browse or shop.
At the same time, connected televisions—which are connected to the internet—are emerging as an important platform for super premium audiences as more households stream content instead of relying solely on cable television.
“Connected TV is what HD television used to be. It is the premium screen. India has about 60 million CTV users,” Khemka said, adding that the medium is an effective way of reaching affluent households.
Beyond digital platforms, premium outdoor advertising at airports and metro stations is gaining traction as a way of reaching consumers who spend less time watching traditional television.
“Out-of-home is becoming more organized too. Airports and metros are becoming premium advertising spaces because that’s where the right audience is,” he said.
Cricket continues to command advertiser attention, but marketers are increasingly looking beyond the traditional men’s game, he added. While the Indian Premier League remains one of the most expensive advertising properties because of its reach and demand, women’s cricket is emerging as a more accessible platform, said Khemka.
“Ratings are good and the entry-level costs are effective,” he said.
Contrary to predictions that newspapers would continue to lose relevance, Khemka said print remains resilient in India, especially for categories such as automobiles, education and real estate, while regional publications continue to attract readers.
“I don’t think print is dying in India, it still has very high credibility,” he added.
The industry’s optimism, however, has been tempered by macroeconomic uncertainty. Geopolitical tensions, including the conflict in West Asia, have raised input costs for businesses, prompting companies to tighten marketing budgets.
“The easiest thing to reduce is media money and companies are realigning their strategies very fast,” Khemka said.
He expects advertising growth this year to fall short of projections made at the start of the year, with geopolitical uncertainty weighing on business sentiment despite a strong start driven by sporting events such as the IPL and International Cricket Council tournaments.
Audience measurement
Another challenge for advertisers is the continued disruption in television audience measurement, making it harder for them to evaluate where viewers are spending their time.
The BARC TV ratings system has been paused amid concerns over the way audience measurement is conducted, leaving broadcasters and advertisers without fresh, official data on viewership. Without ratings, advertisers do not have a clear benchmark to judge which channels and programmes are delivering audiences, making it difficult to decide where to spend their television budgets.
“We are in a dark period – the absence of television ratings. Agencies are relying on historical trends and alternative data sources while waiting for the issue to be resolved,” he added.
Artificial intelligence is expected to accelerate many changes over the next few years, although Khemka does not believe it will replace people. Instead, he said, AI is becoming a tool that helps agencies analyze data faster, generate multiple versions of campaigns and improve measurement, while strategic thinking remains firmly in human hands.
“We are reskilling our people. The downstream (ad execution phase) may get affected, but upstream thinking will become even more important,” he said.