Analysis · Enterprise Software & IT

Quick commerce ads surge, Nitro Commerce builds AI tools

By Startup Enthusiast · 16 March 2026

What they do

Nitro Commerce is an AI-based marketing startup founded by Umair Mohammad

It offers Zodiac, an AI copilot that optimizes brand performance across quick commerce platforms

Ad spends on Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart grew 202% to ₹4,000 Cr in 2025

Quick commerce has evolved from last-minute purchases to a mainstream buying habit.
Users return multiple times weekly and make decisions in minutes.
The 10-minute delivery market is about $6 Bn today and projected to reach $35–$40 Bn by 2030.
Gross order value grew from $3.1 Bn in 2023 to $7.4 Bn in 2025.
At least 42% of Tier I city residents use 10-minute delivery for daily household needs.
Quick commerce offers predictable returns with users returning multiple times a week.
Ad spends on Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart rose from ₹1,325 Cr to ₹4,000 Cr in 2025, up 202% in one year.
Ad spends are projected to reach ₹6,000 Cr by 2026, another 50% growth.

Quick commerce apps are transactional, allowing sponsored tiles, bundles, and in-cart prompts near active baskets.
Non-endemic ads let brands in retail environments where they don't sell directly, leveraging retail customer data.
Quick commerce platforms hold rich first-party signals like basket size, category mix, order timing, and locality.
Advertisers can measure campaign impact on physical volumes in specific pin-codes or store radii.
Share of voice is critical as decisions are compressed into seconds on top search results and first rows.

Nitro Commerce is an AI-based marketing services startup founded by Umair Mohammad.
Zodiac by Nitro is an AI copilot for brands with agentic capabilities.
Zodiac optimizes performance across platforms.
Zodiac stitches sales, inventory, and advertising signals into unified shopper and SKU-level profiles.
Nitro has four layers: identity resolution, intent-led media, agentic engagement, and real-time retention.
Nitro's solutions activate profiles across quick commerce networks, from stock decisions to ad targeting on Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart.

Product: AI marketing platform
Customers: Consumer and D2C brands selling across online storefronts, marketplaces, quick commerce, and retail
How it makes money: Charges subscription and performance fees for its marketing automation and attribution software suite
What sets it apart: Full-funnel AI operating layer addressing cookie loss, reducing acquisition costs, and providing dedicated quick commerce analytics