What your delivery box wants you to buy: On-package ads become new marketing turf

The cardboard box you rip open at your doorstep might just be India’s most intimate marketing channel. With upwards of 600 million online shoppers and doorstep deliveries now a daily ritual, packaging has transformed from passive wrapper to active media real estate. Brands still fight for prime-time slots and jostle for social media scrolls, but they’re now realizing the most focused screen might be the one bringing your mangoes and millet cookies.

Amazon jumped in early. “Amazon On-Package Ads help deliver unmatched value by helping brands reach their most receptive audiences when their attention is truly focused and excitement is at its peak,” says an Amazon spokesperson. They call it an “interactive doorstep experience,” turning ordinary boxes into powerful touchpoints that spark immediate action.

This isn’t just logos on cardboard. Amazon’s spokesperson adds, “It helps drive measurable conversion through our comprehensive attribution system, providing rich insights that reveal true campaign performance.” In India, Asian Paints, Society Tea, and Godrej Homes have already used these boxes to tell stories that no roadside hoarding can match.

Karan Shah, Director at Society Tea, sees it as a major unlock. “Our collaboration with Amazon Ads represents an exciting new medium, allowing us to extend the reach of our campaign across omni-channels,” he says. He believes delivery boxes act as “mini billboards” that introduce Society Tea’s variety to new audiences without relying on a browser click or an Instagram swipe.

Quick commerce giants like Zepto, Blinkit, and Swiggy Instamart are not far behind. Zepto, valued at $7 billion and closing in on 500,000 orders a day, is already seeing over ?1,000 crore in annualized ad revenue. Blinkit, now part of Zomato, crossed ?400 crore in FY24 and expects to double it this year. RedSeer reports that nearly 70 percent of Indian quick commerce users notice package messaging, with over 40 percent engaging with QR codes or scanning offers.

Bhushan Kadam, Creative Director at White Rivers Media, calls packaging a “strategic asset.” “There’s a clear shift towards using every inch of the pack as a communication channel, whether for storytelling, cross-promotion, or driving digital engagement,” he says. Bhushan points out that QR codes and AR triggers are transforming boxes into gateways to exclusive offers and brand stories. “Personalized messages and scannable graphics don’t just create short-lived buzz; they build long-term brand affinity,” he adds.

Asparsh Sinha, Managing Partner at OPEN Strategy & Design, argues that the opportunity isn’t just aesthetic. “At OPEN, we don’t see things in isolation, and we definitely don’t serve at the altar of the media,” he says. To him, packaging is a projection of meaning. “When seen as a whole, the question becomes, how does the meaning get conveyed even in its most reduced, iconic form?”

Asparsh believes true power lies in designing for behavior. “Smart QR integrations, dynamic content layers, even simple sketches can be designed to nudge different behaviors—curiosity, collection, sharing,” he explains. He warns against flashy but hollow tech add-ons, saying sometimes a “handwritten code or scannable sketch can be more engaging than a high-end AR execution.”

The numbers back this momentum. Quick commerce platforms saw orders worth ?64,000 crore in FY25, more than double FY24’s ?30,000 crore. CareEdge expects this to hit ?2 lakh crore by 2028, driven by over 950 million smartphone users and an army of bored people waiting for 10-minute deliveries. As competition intensifies and customer acquisition costs rise, packaging real estate looks less like a gimmick and more like survival strategy.

Amazon India grew ad revenue by 24 percent to ?6,649 crore ($788 million) as of Q1 2025, weaving packaging ads into its booming retail media empire. Zepto’s ‘Jarvis’ service boasts billions of impressions, while Blinkit’s ad play is critical to pushing profitability for a vertical that is still finding margin magic. Swiggy Instamart spent ?1,850 crore on ad and promo efforts last year, with packaging central to pushing seasonal and partner brand activations.

Beyond the big players, traditional FMCG giants are tuning in. Nestlé tweaks messaging for quick commerce packs, while Cadbury’s QR-coded packaging campaigns have unlocked hyper-local personalisation at scale. With India’s packaging market expected to reach $200 billion by 2027 (up from $80 billion in 2022, according to FICCI), the box in your hand isn’t just a delivery mechanism; it’s a programmable, trackable, scannable brand moment.

Bhushan insists the evolution is far from over. “The pack is no longer just a wrapper. It’s a silent salesman and a digital handshake rolled into one,” he says. Meanwhile, Asparsh wants brands to stay rooted. “When the pack becomes a trigger and not just a label, it can drive loyalty, participation, and storytelling in ways traditional media can't,” he says.

Shah sums it up simply, saying, “We want to reach customers in new ways. Packaging lets us do that without waiting for them to click an ad or watch a reel.”

Next time you rip open a Zepto bag or unfold an Amazon Prime box, you’re not just unboxing avocados or ceramic soap dispensers. You’re stepping into a stage set by marketers, a personal brand show where your curiosity is the main act. In this world of scan-and-swipe attention spans, that final delivery box might just be the most valuable screen in India.