Innovative Strategies Propel Quick Commerce Prominence

With the rise of quick commerce platforms, brands are adopting innovative strategies to enhance their visibility. With an increasing emphasis on speed and attractive discounts, brands are strategically refining their presence on platforms such as Zomato's Blinkit, Swiggy's Instamart and Zepto. The goal is to not only make their products noticeable but also align them with the instant-gratification mindset prevalent among today's consumers.

According to Simpl, there has been a notable 36 per cent rise in transactions within the overall food and quick commerce categories. 

Prominence and Discoverability

To secure a prime spot on quick commerce platforms, brands are leveraging data analytics and machine learning algorithms. These technologies enable them to understand consumer preferences, anticipate trends, and optimise their product listings accordingly. By tailoring product descriptions, titles, and images to align with popular search queries, brands can enhance their visibility on these platforms and capture the attention of potential customers.

Rajat Jadhav, Co-Founder, Bold Care, sheds light on strategies that focus on regional utilisation to ensure product prominence on quick commerce platforms.

"We constantly touch base with our POCs on these platforms to make sure we’re present in all the pin codes they service. For users - shortest delivery timelines are the need of the hour and we strive hard to provide that," says Jadhav. 

He highlights the evolving flexibility within quick commerce platforms, allowing brands to utilise up to 15 images as listing images and create richer content, enabling brands to optimise product listings for better visibility and discoverability.

Additionally, brands are utilising sponsored listings and partnerships with the platforms to secure featured placements, ensuring their products are front and centre during a customer's browsing experience.

Effectively Communication

Clear communication of deals, discounts, and promotions is key for brands to gather the attention of consumers swiftly. Brands are adopting eye-catching graphics and concise messaging to convey their offers, making sure that consumers can quickly understand the value proposition.

Vanda Ferrao, Chief Marketing Officer at WOW Skin Science, believes that staying at the forefront of consumers' minds requires a multi-faceted approach to ensure campaigns and promotions are prominently featured on quick commerce platforms.

She asserts, "Collaborating with various quick commerce platforms through joint business planning is critical for ensuring growth through innovative avenues to engage with consumers to create awareness of the offerings."

Ferrao highlights that The WOW Skin Science team actively partners with platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto, Big Basket, and Swiggy Instamart. Through these collaborations, the brand optimises its product visibility by leveraging platform-specific features strategically.

She emphasises the importance of utilising features stating, "push notifications, personalised recommendations, dynamic banners and product experience through sampling to effectively convey our offerings, ensuring our customers are well-informed about the value we provide."

By analysing customer data and purchase history, brands can send targeted notifications to users, highlighting relevant promotions and creating a sense of urgency. This real-time engagement fosters customer loyalty and encourages repeat purchases.

The Visual Factor 

Brands are also recognising the importance of effective visual merchandising to attract consumer attention on quick commerce platforms. High-quality product images, compelling visuals, and cohesive branding contribute to a positive and memorable shopping experience.

Dr. Somdutta Singh, Serial Entrepreneur, Founder and CEO Assiduus Global Inc, LP Angel Investor and Ex-Member Niti Aayog shares that visual merchandising compensates for the lack of physical interaction and stands out in a crowded marketplace, reducing decision-making time based on first impressions

She underscores, "Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar stores with their physical displays and interactive touchpoints, quick comm platforms rely solely on visuals and user experience to entice customers. Thus, this is where visual merchandising emerges as a crucial weapon in their arsenal."

From her experience, Singh shares key visual merchandising techniques stating, "Invest in high-resolution, well-lit photos showcasing products from different angles, in use scenarios. Strategically organise products using carousels, featured sections, and personalised recommendations which will guide users towards specific items and encourage them to browse further."

She recommends using colours, fonts, and layouts consistent with your brand identity to improve the user experience. Displaying customer photos and reviews builds trust, showcasing real-life product usage scenarios for social proof and increased engagement.

The Way Forward

Brands are slowly and steadily investing in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies to enhance the visual appeal of their products. These immersive experiences allow consumers to virtually try out products in their own space before making a purchase. Artificial intelligence will further refine personalization, ensuring that product recommendations are highly tailored to individual preferences.

Ferrao envisions the quick commerce sector being heavily influenced by emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and AI-driven innovations. She believes, "Playing in the beauty and skincare space these tech innovations can drive preference as they can be utilised to showcase product benefits, innovative formulations, product experience, etc. Such immersive experiences will help consumers make an informed choice."

On the other hand, Jadhav envisions the future being heavily influenced by emerging user and city-level preferences. He stresses, "The future of marketing in the quick commerce sector is heavily influenced by emerging user & city-level preferences, understanding the basket mix and hyper personalisations."

Alongside, Singh sees AI-powered algorithms as the driving force behind personalised product recommendations and targeted marketing campaigns, ultimately enhancing the overall convenience and speed of quick commerce.