Quick commerce now drives 45% of festive shopping in India, shows WPP–Meta report

Quick commerce—once synonymous with last-minute grocery runs—has now firmly entered India’s consumer mainstream. The segment, which already contributes nearly two-thirds of all online grocery orders, accounted for 45% of festive season purchases this year, according to a new WPP Media–Meta Consumer Report released on December 5, 2025.

The findings are part of the newly launched CPAS (Collaborative Performance Advertising Solutions) Playbook for Retail & Quick Commerce in India, built using consumer research, platform insights, retailer data, and brand performance metrics. The report reveals a decisive shift in how Indians discover and buy products—moving from planned purchases to instant, inspiration-led decisions that often begin on Meta platforms and end on a quick commerce checkout screen within minutes.

Awareness of quick commerce services now stands at 91%, with over half of users surveyed having placed an order in the week prior to the study. While groceries still lead, categories such as fashion accessories, beauty, health essentials, cookware, and gifting have seen sharp adoption—and in some cases, accelerated growth. Fashion accessories and bags alone have crossed ₹40 crore in monthly sales, more than doubling in the past six months.

“The meteoric rise of quick commerce has compressed the purchase journey like never before,” said Ashwin Padmanabhan, COO – South Asia, WPP Media. “The CPAS framework helps brands bridge the final mile from discovery to verified sale through catalogue integration and real-time optimisation. We are already seeing ROAS as high as 2x in certain categories, proving the power of this model.”

The report underscores the impact of Collaborative Ads (CPAS)—Meta’s solution that allows brands to run catalogue-powered, retailer-linked campaigns on Instagram and Facebook. Brands like Coca-Cola and Britannia, featured as case studies, saw measurable improvements in conversion and efficiency after applying CPAS strategies across platforms like Zepto, Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart.

Coca-Cola, for instance, saw a 39% improvement in Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) and 2.5x stronger conversion rates for its sugar-free portfolio after leveraging high-intent, retailer-synced audiences. Meanwhile, Britannia’s full-funnel CPAS approach yielded up to a 60% lower cost per purchase and up to 5x ROAS in some campaigns.

For marketers, the result is a world where the traditional funnel is being re-engineered—not just shortened, but often collapsed.

“Quick commerce has fundamentally changed consumer behaviour,” said Sairam Ranganathan, Head of Commerce, WPP Media India. “Convenience is now the biggest driver — and decisions are being made in seconds, not weeks. The traditional marketing funnel is no longer linear; it’s messy and compressed. Wherever consumers spend time, brands must design the journey — not just run ads.”

The Playbook signals a new phase in India's retail media evolution—one in which platform discovery, commerce attribution, catalogue intelligence, and AI-led optimisation converge for measurable business impact.

“Nothing beats human judgment,” added Kartik Shankar, Head of Digital Investments, WPP Media India. “The right approach is a balance—using the efficiency of machines with the intelligence of humans. Tools like CPAS give CMOs greater control and efficiency — but ultimately, it comes down to their judgment.”

Meta executives echoed this sentiment, calling India a global epicentre of rapid commerce adoption.

“India is at the forefront of a global shift where discovery and commerce are converging in real time,” said Gaurav Jeet Singh, Director, Agencies and VC Partnerships at Meta India. “With CPAS, we’re enabling brands to meet consumers at the moment of inspiration and carry that intent seamlessly to purchase.”

As smaller cities continue growing at 8–9% annually, and as digital-native Gen Z accelerates impulse-led consumption, brands are now recalibrating their media strategies—not only to win share of basket, but to win the share of seconds. Quick commerce, once a convenience feature, is fast becoming India’s new retail operating system.