Quick commerce is becoming a significant trend in India, now making up nearly two-thirds of all online grocery orders. The growth is especially notable in smaller cities, where the segment is expanding at an annual rate of 8–9%. Festive shopping on quick commerce platforms has also increased, with 45% of such purchases occurring through these channels.
Meta and WPP India have launched the CPAS Playbook for Retail & Quick Commerce to address this changing market. The playbook examines how consumers are shifting from planned to more spontaneous, inspiration-driven buying and offers guidance for brands to connect product discovery with measurable sales outcomes. The playbook was developed using consumer insights, brand data, retailer feedback, and platform analytics, brought together by WPP Media’s expertise.
With 91% of internet users aware of quick commerce services and over half having used them recently, the playbook aims to help brands reach high-intent shoppers when demand arises. While groceries remain the largest category, there is rapid growth in areas like fashion accessories and bags, which have surpassed ₹40 crore per month and more than doubled in six months.
Collaborative Ads (CPAS) are Meta’s solution for enabling brands and retailers to work together on targeted Facebook and Instagram campaigns. Brands can use a retailer’s catalog to promote products directly to shoppers on these platforms. According to Meta, CPAS is already delivering strong business results across various categories in India's quick commerce sector.
Coca-Cola utilized CPAS to target its sugar-free portfolio. By leveraging retailer-linked catalog signals, it achieved a 39% improvement in return on ad spend (ROAS), conversion rates that were 2.5 times higher compared to broad audiences, and acquisition costs that were 40% lower.
Britannia adopted a full-funnel CPAS approach using Dynamic Product Ads and real-time retailer data across partners like Blinkit, Swiggy, Zepto, among others. This strategy resulted in a 45% reduction in cost per purchase quarter-on-quarter; ROAS improved from 0.6 to 1.0, with some campaigns achieving up to five times ROAS and a 60% decrease in cost per purchase.
Gaurav Jeet Singh, Director of Agencies and VC Partnerships (India) at 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.”
Ashwin Padmanabhan, COO South Asia at WPP Media added: “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 said: “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.”
The CPAS Playbook aims to help brands link discovery on Meta’s platforms with conversions on retailer apps by enabling co-branded campaigns optimized for real sales while providing transparent measurement across all stages of engagement. Collaborative Ads have contributed to a year-on-year improvement of 24% in ROAS according to data cited by Meta.
Other key points include that consumer journeys increasingly move from inspiration on Meta platforms directly into purchases; new categories such as kitchen essentials and health staples are experiencing strong growth; and quick commerce awareness stands at 91%, with weekly usage reported by more than half of internet users.