Qcom to capture 16% India’s e-commerce market by 2027: Report

Quick commerce is quickly becoming a primary shopping method in India, now accounting for nearly two-thirds of all online grocery orders, according to a new report. Adoption of these services is accelerating, with growth in smaller cities registered at 8-9% annually.

The joint report, the CPAS (Collaborative Performance Advertising Solutions) Playbook for Retail & Quick Commerce in India, was released today by WPP India in collaboration with Meta. It analyses how the consumer journey is shifting from planned purchases to instant, inspiration-led buying, especially as 45% of festive shopping now occurs on quick commerce platforms.

The Playbook consolidates consumer data, brand performance metrics, retailer inputs, and Meta platform signals, highlighting the role of Collaborative Ads (CPAS) in linking consumer discovery on social platforms directly to actual sales.

Awareness of quick commerce services is high, with 91% of internet users familiar with them, and over half having purchased in the week preceding the survey.

While groceries remain the largest purchase category, fast-growing opportunities in new segments, including categories like fashion accessories and bags that have surpassed Rs 40 crore per month, more than doubling in the past six months. Another category noted fast-growing areas is health and kitchen essentials.

The playbook also notes that the users are driven primarily by the need for home delivery (50%) and urgency (47%). Convenience (38%) and accessibility, such as being unable to reach a store or being sick (34%), are the main reasons for using QCS.

As shoppers move rapidly from inspiration to checkout in the same session, the study suggests that commerce is no longer confined to low-funnel metrics. Marketers are encouraged to create a connected, full-funnel experience where brand awareness and conversion work together.

As quick commerce continues to expand, it is set to capture 16% of India’s e-commerce market by 2027, becoming the next major growth engine for retail in India.

The Playbook includes data showing the efficacy of CPAS, a Meta solution that enables brands and retailers to partner on targeted Facebook and Instagram ads. Brands can use a retailer's product catalog to promote items, driving shoppers directly to the retailer's online store and allowing for end-to-end performance measurement.

Key results from brand campaigns highlighted in the Playbook include:

Coca-Cola: The brand used CPAS to target high-intent ‘sugar-free retail segment’ shoppers for its Coke Zero campaign. This focused segment delivered a 39% improvement in ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and 2.5x stronger conversion rates compared to broad-based affinity audiences. Acquisition costs for this high-intent segment were 40% lower.

Britannia: Using a full-funnel CPAS approach with Dynamic Product Ads and real-time retailer data sync across multiple platforms (Blinkit, Swiggy, Zepto, and others), Britannia achieved a 45% reduction in Cost Per Purchase quarter-on-quarter. The brand's ROAS improved from 0.6 to 1.0, with some campaigns seeing up to 5x ROAS and 60% lower CPP.

Commenting on the findings, Ashwin Padmanabhan, COO, South Asia at WPP Media, said, "The meteoric rise of quick commerce has compressed the purchase journey like never before. 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.”

Prasanth Kumar, CEO - South Asia at WPP Media, added, “India’s commerce landscape is undergoing its most significant transformation, shifting from a linear path to purchase to an instant, intent-driven ecosystem. The CPAS Playbook provides a clear blueprint for brands to seamlessly connect brand-building with conversion, helping them drive accountable, measurable outcomes at scale thus redefining the future of retail advertising in India.”

Gaurav Jeet Singh, Director, Agencies and VC Partnerships, (India) at Meta, commented, “India is at the forefront of a global shift where discovery and commerce are converging in real time. With CPAS, we’re enabling brands to meet consumers at the moment of inspiration and carry that intent seamlessly to purchase. This Playbook gives marketers a clear roadmap to build connected, measurable, and scalable commerce journeys on Meta, helping them unlock growth in a marketplace that moves at the speed of culture.”