Quick commerce has moved from novelty to habit in India. A new study from WPP Media India and Meta finds that the format now accounts for 45% of festive shopping this year, and is closing in on two-thirds of all online grocery orders.

Growth is strongest outside major metros, where adoption is rising at 8% to 9% annually, signalling that the behaviour has gone mainstream well beyond its early urban base.

The CPAS (Collaborative Performance Advertising Solutions) playbook for retail and quick commerce in India, launched on 5 December, combines consumer insight, brand performance data, retailer feedback, and Meta platform signals to show how the purchase journey is compressing from discovery to checkout in a single scroll.

WPP Media uses its CPAS expertise to turn these inputs into a guide for how brands should plan media and measure outcomes on quick commerce platforms.

The research is based on digital consumers with awareness and usage of quick commerce services. 90% of internet users are familiar with the format, and more than half had placed an order in the week before the survey.

While groceries remain the leading purchase category, the study shows that shoppers are widening their carts, adding fashion, beauty, health supplements, kitchen tools and accessories. Fashion accessories and bags alone have crossed INR 40 crore a month in sales on quick commerce platforms, more than doubling over the last six months.

What this really means is that intent is being created and fulfilled in one place. Consumers are moving from inspiration to action without switching apps or waiting for a delivery window. The lower funnel is blending with brand discovery, which is pushing marketers to plan holistically rather than split creative and performance budgets.

Other highlights from the report:

• The report shows a clear link between discovery media and real sales when platforms and retailers work together. Collaborative Ads (CPAS), Meta’s solution that allows brands and marketplaces to activate catalogue-linked campaigns, is already delivering measurable impact across categories.
• The case study on Coca-Cola shows how focusing on the sugar-free segment through retailer-linked catalogue signals pushed a 39% improvement in return on ad spend. Conversion rates were 2.5 times higher than broad campaigns, and acquisition costs dropped by 40%, proving that high-intent audiences inside quick commerce ecosystems have a direct impact on business outcomes.
• Britannia’s full funnel approach used dynamic product ads, real-time catalogue sync and geo-optimisation across partners like Blinkit, Swiggy and Zepto. The result was a 45% reduction in cost per purchase quarter on quarter, with ROAS (return on ad spend) increasing from 0.6 to 1.0. Some campaigns delivered up to 5 times ROAS and a 60% drop in cost per purchase, showing how accuracy, sales-based bidding and continuous optimisation can scale reach and efficiency at the same time.

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, 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), Meta said, “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.”