Background
Pulse Candy from Pass Pass, a standout brand in DS Group’s diverse portfolio, revolutionized the hard-boiled candy segment in India. Launched in 2015, it quickly became a market leader, achieving the Rs.100 crore milestone within just eight months, and continues to maintain its position as India’s top candy choice for over seven years. With the advent of Quick Commerce, the brand found a new channel to push its large pack sales.
Challenge Faced
Online sales for Pulse primarily happens through marketplaces where there is a more clear attribution to ROAS. However, with quick commerce platforms like Blinkit and Zepto, it becomes harder to attribute sales directly to performance ads run on Meta, YouTube etc., as impulse buying is influenced by multiple factors like positioning, stock availability, app nudges. In addition, there is a significant difference between Indian consumers who can buy from marketplace giants (~70-80 M) & those who can buy from quick commerce (~30-40 M). A significant portion of the Pulse’s ad spend was being directed towards audiences who lacked the purchasing affluence for premium quick commerce services which led to marketing inefficiencies.
Audience Strategy Undertaken
To optimize Pulse’s quick commerce performance, Xpert implemented a refined audience strategy. It filtered out users who lacked the purchasing capacity for premium quick commerce platforms, based on buying affluence as visible from their aggregated purchase insights. This alone led to removal of 80% wasted ad impressions. Moreover, targeting was realigned to focus on consumers with a history of purchasing related products such as beverages, snacks, and gifting supplies. This ensured that Pulse’s ads reached more relevant audiences, increasing ad frequency among potential buyers.
Results Achieved
Results Achieved This change in targeting strategy led to a significant uplift in sales on quick commerce platforms within the same ad budget. By reducing wasted ad impressions, marketing spends were directed toward high-intent buyers, improving customer acquisition efficiency and leading to a healthier ROAS.
Inferences & Insights
Precise audience targeting can unlock untapped demand even within marketplace-driven sales models. Eliminating non-serious buyers leads to a more efficient ad spend without any increase in ad budgets.