How Brands Leveraged Quick Commerce in 2025 to Transform Full-Funnel Marketing
A few years ago, quick commerce was mostly about the thrill of getting groceries or snacks at your door in under 20 minutes. But that phase is long gone. By 2025, Q-commerce quietly turned into something much bigger, a place where brands could actually shape consumer decisions from the moment they open the app to the moment they check out. Moreover, the shift did not occur in just the metropolitan areas. The rise of Tier 2 and Tier 3 shoppers, who are looking for fast and convenient solutions, has contributed to helping drive this movement forward.
The most significant thing about 2025 was the way brands started using platforms such as Blinkit and Instamart as a marketing channel rather than just for deliveries. They utilized them for visibility, discovery, and conversions all at the same time. In this blog, we will provide an overview of how this became a reality, as well as provide examples of some brands that have taken this approach to marketing. Additionally, if you are interested in obtaining a digital marketing certification, you should be aware of this growing trend.
Q-Commerce in 2025: Market Growth & Consumer Shift
In terms of sales growth over the next few years, quick commerce has been the one segment that is not showing any signs of slowing down. The statistics speak for themselves: The Indian Quick commerce market will reach close to ₹64000 Crore in FY25, growing at a CAGR of 142% between FY22 and FY25. What started off as a convenient way to grab groceries on busy days has now become the default behaviour for millions of shoppers. In fact, quick-commerce platforms are estimated to handle 70–75% of all e-grocery orders this year, a shift nobody predicted this early.
But the real surprise has been the geography. Growth is no longer driven only by metro users. Just like Tier-1 cities, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities have eagerly adopted the new trend, showing that the need for speed and convenience is not only in the urban areas. The situation is that consumers have moved on from just buying basics. The demand has grown to include personal care, small electronics, daily-use FMCG items, and even those last-minute “I forgot to buy this” essentials.
All of this sets the stage for why 2025 became the year brands finally took Q-commerce seriously, not just as a delivery engine, but as a marketing ecosystem.
Why Q-Commerce Became a Full-Funnel Marketing Channel in 2025
In 2025, Q-commerce not only guaranteed rapid delivery of products, but also imperceptibly changed the functioning of the marketing funnel through and through. One of the significant factors contributing to this shift was the dark store and hyperlocal hub network that the brands now depend on. With instant fulfilment catering to customer needs becoming the norm, the “I will add it to my cart later” mindset disappeared almost completely. People could see something, want it, buy it, and have it at their doorstep in minutes. That kind of speed removes almost all friction from the funnel.
Another big driver was behaviour. Users open Q-commerce apps multiple times a week, sometimes multiple times a day. That translates into a steady stream of ad impressions that no traditional e-commerce app can match. Add to this the deep behavioural data these platforms collect, and personalisation suddenly becomes sharper, more contextual, and far more tempting.
It’s no surprise, then, that brands tripled their Q-commerce ad spends in 2025. They finally realised these apps aren’t just retail platforms; they function like high-intent media channels where awareness, consideration, and conversion blend into a single moment.
How Brands Used Q-Commerce Across the Full Funnel
Top-of-Funnel (Awareness)
- Brands utilized Q-commerce homepages as valuable advertising space in 2025.
- When users opened an app, app-open ads, banners, and co-branded moments provided immediate visibility for advertisers.
- Brand campaigns, such as “Snack Hour” or “Morning Essentials,” provided curated environments within which to naturally engage with consumers rather than to have a forced presence.
Mid-Funnel (Consideration / Intent)
- Platforms started using everyday cues, time, weather, past buying habits, to suggest products that actually made sense in the moment.
- Push notifications about useful information, small push reminders to add products to a cart, and back-in-stock notifications were akin to reminders rather than advertisements for consumers.
Bottom-Funnel (Conversion)
- In here, Q-commerce would be practically unbeatable.
- Flash-sale, 10 minutes delivery badges and “Buy Again” options reduced the time constraints for decision-making.
- Brands also used instant sampling and hyperlocal promotions through nearby dark stores to close the sale on the spot.
Real Brands That Leveraged Q-Commerce in 2025
FMCG Brands
The year 2025 saw fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies relying quite a lot on the Q-commerce service to keep their customer visually represented all the time even in the most demanding moments. PepsiCo, for instance, made smart use of the brutal summer heat by running instant-delivery campaigns for its beverage portfolio. The strategy was simple but effective: when temperatures spiked, weather-triggered placements surfaced cold drinks right at the top of Q-commerce apps. It was moment marketing meets real-time fulfilment, and it worked because the product reached the shopper within minutes, exactly when the craving hit.
D2C & Challenger Brands
D2C brands continued to treat Q-commerce as a launchpad. Wakefit, known for mattresses, pushed its smaller items, pillows, cushions, sleep sprays, exclusively through quick-commerce apps. These products didn’t require long research or price comparison, so the “see → buy → delivered now” flow suited their nature perfectly.
Food & Beverage
Nescafé tapped into a very specific consumer moment: work-from-home mornings. By promoting instant coffee SKUs during peak morning hours on Q-commerce apps, the brand found a reliable way to convert the everyday need for a caffeine fix into immediate purchases.
Electronics & Lifestyle
Boat also benefitted from the urgency-driven behaviour of Q-commerce shoppers. Earphones and charging cables became classic “last-minute” items during exam season and live sports events, and Boat’s availability on Q-commerce meant customers could replace or upgrade accessories right when they needed them most.
Benefits & Opportunities for Marketers
Shortened Purchase Journey
Quick commerce made it possible for customers to go through the whole process of finding the product, ordering it, and receiving it in less than ten minutes. Such a fast service means that customer engagement will not be easily broken, and hence, the rates of sales will be naturally increased.
Testing New SKUs and Launches
Manufacturers have the opportunity of trying out their latest or special products by using the less expensive method of testing with small-scale production rather than going the full route of big budget wasting. Quick-commerce platforms provide real-time feedback, helping marketers refine packaging, offers, and positioning quickly.
Localised Targeting
Campaigns can be tailored at the PIN-code or city level, reaching audiences with products that are relevant to their location. This increases marketing efficiency and ensures that promotions hit the right neighborhoods at the right time.
Cross-Promotions and Impulse Buying
During the celebrations or high seasons, brands can do campaigns that are part of the same marketing strategy and cover several product categories. Additionally, high impulse purchases on these platforms assist in enlarging the basket size and generating additional sales.
Instant Feedback Loop
Sales and stock data in real time reveal which products are selling, where, and at what time. Marketers can take these insights to quickly change promotions, stock levels, and campaigns for the most effective impact.
Challenges & Risks Brands Faced in 2025
High Delivery Costs and Margin Pressure
The provision of deliveries in just 10-15 minutes was a blessing and a curse at the same time. On one hand, consumers were really excited about the speed; on the other hand, brands faced very high logistic costs most of the time, especially in case of low-priced items where the margins were already very small.
Inventory and Expiry Risks
Fast-moving perishable products were a constant challenge. The more you stocked, the more wastage you risked; the less you stocked, the more sales you would miss and customers would be disappointed.
Overreliance on Discounts
A lot of businesses resorted to discounts to promote their products and stimulate quick sales. Although this was effective in the short run, it sometimes led to the brand losing its value in the perception of consumers over the long run.
Supply Chain Gaps in Smaller Cities
The logistical issues were still present in Tier-2 and Tier-3 markets. Customer experience was sometimes interrupted by delays, stockouts or unreliable service.
Platform Dependency
As the visibility was mostly determined by the app algorithms, the brands were dependent on the platforms. Any alteration in the positioning or promotion rules could immediately have a significant impact on reach and sales.
Conclusion
2025 clearly became the year when Q-commerce stepped up as more than just a delivery solution. For the first time, brands used it as a full-funnel marketing tool, blending awareness, consideration, and conversion in real time. It showed how a platform could serve both as a media channel and a delivery network simultaneously. As we move towards 2026, brands that will be able to adjust to Q-commerce and incorporate it properly will have a competitive advantage. Digital marketing course in Mumbai can be a useful way for professionals to deeply understand these new techniques and to learn how to effectively use such channels.
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