Snapchat has reported a tenfold increase in the number of advertisers on its platform in India over the past two years. The company also said the number of advertisers spending consistently across all four quarters has tripled during the period.
According to Snapchat, the growth has been driven by increased adoption of immersive advertising formats, the expansion of Chat as an advertising surface, and investments in AI-powered targeting, optimisation and measurement tools.
The platform currently reaches more than 250 million users in India and said it continues to see increasing interest from brands looking to engage Gen Z audiences. Snapchat cited estimates indicating that Gen Z contributes 43% of India’s total consumption, with spending power projected to reach $2 trillion by 2035.
Commenting on the development, Pulkit Trivedi, Managing Director, India, Snap Inc., said, “We have been deliberate about building an ecosystem of advertising solutions rooted in how Gen Z communicates and engages today. Snapchat is the only platform that offers a multi-format ads stack suite comprising AR, video and high attention ads on chat which focuses on driving meaningful outcomes for brands and businesses. The momentum we are seeing in India reflects a broader shift toward immersive, engagement-led marketing. We believe we are leading this opportunity as brands transition towards more meaningful ways to engage consumers.”
The company highlighted growing adoption across categories including fashion, beauty, entertainment, food delivery, quick commerce, sports and retail.
Rohit Kapoor, CEO, Swiggy Food Marketplace, said, “In the on-demand and quick-commerce ecosystem, driving high-intent consumer attention is paramount. Our strategic approach to digital engagement is rooted in the first-principles of 'Contextual Commerce', reaching the consumer when they are in an active, communicative mindset. Snapchat has proven to be a highly innovative and impactful channel for Swiggy, allowing us to natively insert our brand into the visual conversations of India’s Gen Z through high-attention Chat surfaces and immersive AR. This scaled partnership helps us seamlessly translate deep user engagement into instant business outcomes and has consistently contributed to our broader brand-building momentum."
Sahibjeet Singh Sawhney, Marketing Head, Zomato, said, "Snapchat's multi-format strategy across Video, AR, and Sponsored Snaps creates a brand experience that feels truly interactive and engaging, one that builds a deeper, more meaningful connection with audiences. That's a worthwhile difference and we've seen it reflect in our results."
Ashwin Padmanabham, COO, WPP Media South Asia, said, “Across our client portfolio, we are noticing a distinct, market-led shift, brands are increasingly recognizing that Snapchat has crossed a critical threshold of scale and infrastructure in India where it can no longer be bypassed. Gen Z’s economic influence is no longer a future projection, they are actively shaping the majority of household consumption decisions today. However, standard digital media models are hitting a wall because this cohort has an acute, defensive attention deficit toward passive advertising.”
The company also shared performance metrics from its research, stating that campaigns on Snapchat deliver a 10-percentage-point lift in aided brand awareness and a 12-percentage-point lift in aided ad recall compared with competing platforms. It further reported that Snapchat users are 18 percentage points more likely to consider a brand, 16 percentage points more likely to share brand content, and 13 percentage points more likely to discuss brands with friends and family.
Snapchat said augmented reality continues to be one of its strongest engagement drivers in India, with AR Lenses delivering 2x higher effectiveness and 3x greater efficiency in capturing attention compared to other formats. The company also noted that Sponsored Snaps, its advertising format within Chat, delivers 2.5x higher brand awareness than traditional in-feed formats.
As part of its broader advertising strategy, Snapchat has expanded its performance and measurement infrastructure through tools such as App Power Pack, Unified Attribution, advanced optimisation solutions and enhanced app measurement capabilities, aimed at improving delivery and outcomes for advertisers at scale.
