This time: Instamart’s latest ad focuses on use-cases, not minutes

Instamart’s latest ad swaps countdown clocks for a quieter, more situational take on quick commerce and that choice feels deliberate.

The film opens inside a jewellery store, where a shop assistant casually asks a couple if they’d like some chai. When they agree, she draws the curtains, revealing an unexpectedly elaborate tea setup complete with Japanese-style kettles and hot water. The punchline lands soon after: you may not have everything on hand, but you do have Instamart cue an instant kettle order via the platform.

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What’s notable is not the gag itself, but what’s missing. For the first time in recent memory, Instamart doesn’t foreground delivery speed — no “10 minutes”, no ticking clock, no race-against-time framing. Instead, the ad focuses on presence and problem-solving: the comfort of knowing that whatever the situation, the app has you covered.

This shift comes at a time when quick-commerce players are facing tighter government scrutiny around delivery timelines and rider safety, prompting many platforms to recalibrate how aggressively they communicate speed. While Instamart hasn’t explicitly linked the ad to regulatory developments, the creative restraint stands out in a category built almost entirely on urgency.

By placing the brand in a familiar, almost mundane moment — chai at a shop — Instamart appears to be nudging the conversation from how fast to how useful. It’s a subtle repositioning, but one that suggests q-commerce brands may be entering a more measured phase of storytelling.