The Indian online food delivery market was valued at $31.77B in 2024 and is set to hit $140B by 2030. Increased urbanization, especially in growing centers like Kolkata, where over 461 million people reside in the urban areas, lifestyle and food habits are evolving rapidly.
If F&B brands are to keep up with this fast-pacing trend, opting for strategic food marketing may be the only right bet.
Whether you’re running a D2C packaged f&b brand, a restaurant delivery platform, a cloud kitchen, or a home-based food business, the right digital strategies can turn customer cravings into sales.
Swiggy and Zomato now control 95% of India’s food delivery market. But new government initiatives, like ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) are opening up more opportunities for small businesses and retailers. The portal aims to reduce dominance of food delivery giants by improving B2C and D2C connections through broader access.
But even then, you need to stand out from competition, which is huge, to say the least. Partnering with an f&b marketing agency, especially during peak seasons, can give your business a major uplift.
Why Food E-Commerce Needs Digital Marketing
Your target foodies are online, browsing Instagram for healthy snack ideas or Googling quick meal solutions. About 500 million Indians actively use social media, with 230 million scrolling on Instagram, and 320 million checking their Facebook feeds. Just being present on these platforms with compelling, conversion-worthy content enhances your chances to be seen.
Whether you’re selling D2C packaged items, like artisanal cookies or vegan protein bars, or running a cloud kitchen or delivery-only restaurant, your success depends on a strong digital storefront.
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Eye-catching product listings
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Dynamic landing pages
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Scroll-stopping ad creatives
All these are ingredients to a high-converting food marketing strategy.
For a home-based food business, the challenge to be discovered by the right people can be overwhelming sometimes. You need to grab attention within 10 seconds or lose your audience. With the help of an experienced eCommerce PPC agency, you can reach faster, target better and remain in customers’ feeds longer.
How To Win Back Foodies Who Scrolled Past
Now, you may ask,
How can we win them back? They’re clearly not interested!
Well, like an intelligent restaurant digital marketing expert would say-
“Let’s MAKE them interested then.”
You should know that Instagram is a top food marketing tool in 2025, with its Reels driving 3x more engagement than static images. Specific food trends on Instagram have been seen to engage 25% to 45% more scrollers. About 78% of consumers have acknowledged learning about new food products through Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
So you see that it’s very much possible to bring people, who scrolled past your brand, back with proper targeting and compelling content. Here’s what you can do:
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Create short HD videos on Glow Bowls (vibrant edible art)
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Use hashtags like #TasteTheGlow to make them relevant
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D2C f&b brands can promote their eco-friendly packaging
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A 15-seconds BTS video can work like magic for cloud kitchens
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Boost your best reels with precise and targeted ads
When customers look for “healthy snacks near me” or “gourmet gift boxes,” on search engines, you want them to notice your business first, right?
Strategic marketing for food means showing up before others in the same niche. Optimizing your website content with key phrases, like “vegan desserts” or “quick meal kits” will match these searches, making you visible faster. And that’s exactly what SEO can do.
But organic visibility may take some time to show real results (don't believe in ‘within a fortnight’ rumors). If you need it faster, an expert ecommerce PPC agency can help. By crafting crave-worthy ads that target high-intent foodies, they can make restaurants, cafes, kitchens, and D2C brands reach ready-to-buy customers.
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Bid on “fast food delivery” during dinner rush
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Rank for “vegan snacks” with optimized product pages
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Use “healthy lunch recipes” in how-to articles
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Target “late-night meals” in Google Ads campaigns
Too much on your plate already? Why not seek help from an f&b marketing agency?
If you think that emails and WhatsApp marketing are a little outdated or unnecessary, think again!
These can offer tremendous help in re-engaging past customers with proper information and updates. WhatsApp messages have an open rate of 98%, and click-through rate of 45%-60% in targeted marketing campaigns. Personalization is a key factor here. More than 70% of customers prefer personalized messages instead of cold marketing content.
For example, a home-based food business can send WhatsApp messages with deals on combo packs, like “Buy 2 Granola Jars, Get 1 Free”, to repeat customers often ordering breakfast items. Similarly, a cafe can WhatsApp a “Free Iced Latte with Any Sandwich” offer to a customer, who usually orders around 4 PM.
Talking about emails, you can leverage the same personalization to offer dessert lovers early access to new sweets. Or, you may send birthday wishes with a special offer on treats.
Automating emails and WhatsApp messages can open new channels of food marketing every day. Use your imagination or ask a food marketing agency for ideas that work in real life.
About 82% of customers are likely to trust your brand if it incorporates UGC or User Generated Content in your food marketing endeavors. Also, user content leads to more shares, saves, and comments on social media. As 22% of diners return to restaurants because of an updated social media presence, UGC is something that your brand can’t ignore.
What you can do:
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Reshare tagged photos from happy customers
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Create a branded hashtag for reviews and shares
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Send free samples to micro-influencers in your niche
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Run UGC contests like “My Weekend Food Ritual”
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Feature top customer content in Stories or highlights
All these seemingly-easy but calculative marketing for food brands can ensure brand loyalty, especially for those without a physical storefront.
How a Digital Marketing Company Helps
An experienced food and beverage marketing agency ties these strategies together to give you the best possible outcome for your business.
In a nutshell, a food marketing specialist can:
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Use tools to analyze trending flavors and target campaigns accordingly
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Optimize PPC budgets for maximum ROI with minimum spend
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Create SEO-rich content for websites, blogs and social media
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Design social media ads that stop customers from scrolling past
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Streamline ordering systems to reduce cart abandonment
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Build cost-effective, high-impact campaigns for home-based businesses
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Drive traffic, increase orders, and encourage repeat customers
Start Growing Your Food Commerce Today
Are you ready to make the most of the upcoming peak season and grow your f&b business online?
Join hands with a restaurant digital marketing expert to craft campaigns that create cravings and fulfil the same. From D2C packaged foods to cloud kitchens, our smart digital strategies can help you drive new orders and repeat past ones with grace.
