Swiggy lifts ad spend 55% as quick-commerce costs mount

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Swiggy increased advertising and promotional expenditure by 55% to ₹4,207 crore in FY26, underscoring the rising cost of acquiring and retaining customers in India’s food-delivery and quick-commerce market. Revenue from operations rose about 51% to ₹23,053 crore, but the company’s annual net loss widened to ₹4,154 crore from ₹3,117 crore.

The numbers show why Swiggy’s marketing strategy matters beyond brand visibility. Advertising and sales promotion accounted for more than 18% of FY26 operating revenue, as the company expanded Instamart and competed across delivery speed, product selection, discounts and loyalty programmes. In the March quarter alone, Swiggy spent ₹1,024 crore on advertising and promotion, up 4.7% year on year.

The core food-delivery operation is providing some financial ballast. Its gross order value rose 22.6% in Q4 FY26 to ₹9,005 crore, while annual adjusted EBITDA crossed ₹1,000 crore. Group CEO Sriharsha Majety said food delivery had grown at its “strongest pace in nearly four years”, with better margins than a year earlier.

Quick commerce remains the larger profitability test. Instamart’s Q4 gross order value grew 68.8% to ₹7,881 crore, but the segment recorded an adjusted EBITDA loss of ₹858 crore. Swiggy said contribution margins continued to improve and reiterated its breakeven guidance.

For advertisers and investors, the central question is no longer whether promotion can produce growth. Swiggy’s results show that it can. The harder test is whether customer frequency, larger baskets and stronger margins eventually reduce the amount of marketing required to defend that growth.