Shark-approved, instantly delivered: How Swiggy Instamart helps brands enter q-comm

For new brands, standing out in today’s competitive market means finding the right balance between effective promotion and building consumer trust. Shark Tank India, the business reality show on Sony LIV and Sony Entertainment Television, has been addressing this challenge since 2021.

In the show, now in its fourth season, entrepreneurs get the chance to pitch their business ideas to a group of investors called ‘Sharks’. These investors then decide if they want to put their money into the entrepreneurs' ventures. It's not just about the investment; it's really the viewership that allows brands to connect directly with their audience.

Initially, discovering and purchasing brands featured on Shark Tank India was a challenge, requiring customers to search through social media pages or official websites. However, with the rise of quick commerce, consumer behaviour has shifted—customers now expect instant access to these products, preferring the convenience of rapid doorstep delivery.

Swiggy—this season’s official sponsor of Shark Tank India—has identified this as an opportunity to bridge the gap between a brand's TV exposure and real-time availability. Its quick delivery service, Instamart, allows customers to receive products featured on the reality show in just 10 minutes. In doing so, Swiggy is looking to gain an edge in the competitive quick-commerce space, where rival company like Zepto has become known for leveraging catchy, fun ads to announce its brand partnerships. 

The q-comm platform this month launched a separate ‘Shark Tank’ section that features emerging brands from Shark Tank India Season 4, including Go Zero, Beast Life, Patch Up, MetaShot, and Fae Beauty, as well as over 100 other brands from previous seasons.

This season, Kunal Bahl, co-founder of Snapdeal and Titan Capital, and Unicommerce promoter, replaced Deepinder Goyal, founder and CEO of Zomato, on the 'sharks' panel, after Swiggy, one of Zomato's main competitors, became a sponsor of the show.

Sahil Vohra, CEO and co-founder of The Naturik Co., an instant, ready-to-cook breakfast mix business, says, "After Shark Tank India 4, Naturik's partnership with Instamart went smooth as cake. The onboarding team was proactive in expediting the process for us. And we have not spent anything on onboarding."

Patch Up, a company that provides transdermal skin patches for weight loss and everyday wellness boosters, agrees. Radhika Rajpal, the founder, describes how this saves a lot of time because "cracking quick commerce is generally a mammoth task for most new D2C brands".

New brands have made significant strides since joining Swiggy Instamart, while established brands have also benefited from increased visibility. Go Zero, a low-sugar ice cream brand, has been available on the q-comm platform for the past two years and experienced a 2X increase in sales on quick commerce in the week following the airing of the latest season's episode.

Moreover, it facilitates brands' entry into other quick commerce apps. The Naturik Co. was previously not present on any q-comm platform; however, following their appearance on Shark Tank India, the onboarding process with Zepto and Blinkit has become "faster and smoother". 

Partnering with Swiggy Instamart has enabled new brands to expand their audience and effectively reach tier-1 and tier-2 cities as well.

“Our patches are now available in over 40 cities across India through Swiggy Instamart, ensuring extensive reach across tier-1 and tier-2 cities. This broad availability makes it easier for consumers nationwide to access Patch up’s offerings."

Radhika Rajpal, founder of Patch Up

Earlier, speaking to afaqs!, Manas Madhu, co-founder of Beyond Snacks, a Kerala chips brand that gained prominence after appearing on Shark Tank India's inaugural season, attributed much of its success to the show. He said, “Without Shark Tank India, we wouldn’t have achieved even a quarter of the scale we are at today.” He claims that the visibility provided by Shark Tank India would have cost us crores in advertising, but instead, the brand received free publicity.

The highest momentum is achieved when the brand's episode is broadcast. “We didn't get additional discount benefits, however, we did get a lot of additional visibility on the Swiggy app which helped us get more product impressions and conversions,” says Kiran Shah, founder of Go Zero.

Shah reveals that following their appearance on Shark Tank India, the brand experienced a twofold increase in sales and a fivefold increase in searches for Go Zero.

"The demand on Instamart was so high that we sold out within minutes of the episode airing. Even after supplying twice the usual stock, we are still experiencing stock shortages due to the overwhelming demand."

Kiran Shah, founder of Go Zero

The collaboration between Shark Tank India and Swiggy Instamart effectively connects OTT exposure with real-time purchasing, as this time, the show has completely embraced the digital shift, airing exclusively on Sony LIV. The show has introduced a premium model with this transition, providing new episodes exclusively to subscribers through plans that range from Rs 299 per month to Rs 999 a year.

Those paying for a subscription are more likely to explore and try these products. For instance, GoZero offered a 'buy one get one' deal for four days after its pitch aired, while Patch Up offered its highest-ever discount—25% on Swiggy Instamart—to attract customers.

Instamart recently announced in a press release that brands such as The Select Aisle, Bold Care, Beardo, and Anveshan, which joined Swiggy Instamart in 2024, have seen over 100% growth in orders, reaching their highest-ever figures on occasions like New Year's Eve.

"This collaboration enables us to bring the trending, innovative brands featured on the show directly to consumers’ doorsteps. By bridging the gap between the inspiration viewers experience on TV and the tangible products they can access, we reinforce our commitment to convenience and innovation, while empowering both consumers and emerging businesses to thrive,” Swiggy Instamart's CEO Amitesh Jha was quoted as saying.

Shark Tank India has also launched a special episode titled Gateway to Shark Tank - Divyang Special, which focusses on promoting innovation and entrepreneurship among specially-abled individuals and their supporters. The episode, supported by Jeet Adani, director of Adani Airports, highlights innovative concepts that enhance accessibility. 

Swiggy Instamart’s partnership with Shark Tank India highlights that even if a brand doesn’t land a deal on the show, it can still land on your doorstep—proving that consumer demand is the ultimate investment.