Blinkit Ad Formats Explained: Every Placement, CPC & Use Case (2026)

Last updated: April 2026

Blinkit ads split into two objective families: Reach (awareness-focused — Stories, Banners, Brand Spotlight, Push) and Performance (conversion-focused — Brand Shelf, Product Booster, Cart Injection, Recommendations). Reach formats are bought on CPM (₹120–₹450 per 1,000 impressions), Performance formats on CPC (₹2–₹22 per click). The brands winning on Blinkit don't pick one — they stack 2–3 formats around each hero SKU, using Reach to seed demand and Performance to capture it.

This guide catalogues every Blinkit ad placement live as of Q2 2026, with typical pricing, click-through benchmarks, and use cases built from Ladya audits of ₹6Cr+ in Blinkit ad spend. If you're trying to grow revenue (not just impressions), pair this with our how to sell more on Blinkit playbook.

The two objective families

Before picking a format, you pick an objective. Blinkit's ad console forces this choice at campaign setup — and switching later resets your learning.

Objective	Buying model	Optimizes for	Typical ROAS
Reach	CPM	Impressions, viewable reach	Brand lift, not direct ROAS
Performance	CPC	Clicks, Add to Cart, Orders	3–8x depending on format

The mistake most brands make: running Reach campaigns on a performance budget and expecting orders. Reach formats have a 0.6–1.4% CTR — they build awareness, they don't drive same-day orders. Use them when you're launching, relaunching, or defending share — not when you're optimizing for next month's P&L.

Reach formats (10 placements)

1. Homepage Discovery Banner

The top banner that shows when a shopper opens the Blinkit app. Highest reach of any format — every active shopper sees it.

• Pricing: CPM ₹280–₹450 (metro-weighted)
• Typical CTR: 1.0–1.6%
• Best for: New product launches, festive campaigns, category entry
• Watch out: Creative fatigue after 5–7 days; refresh every 4 days

2. Carousel Banner (Image & Video)

Swipable banner below the main hero. Supports 3–5 cards and can include video creatives.

• Pricing: CPM ₹220–₹380
• Typical CTR: 0.8–1.3%
• Best for: Multi-SKU brands showcasing a range (e.g., a snacks brand showing 4 flavors)
• Video variant: CTR 30–45% higher than static, but CPM is 25% higher

3. Stories

Full-screen Instagram-style vertical ad. Plays before shoppers hit the homepage feed.

• Pricing: CPM ₹320–₹480
• Typical CTR: 1.4–2.2%
• Best for: Storytelling creatives, new-category education, brand positioning
• Watch out: Creative production cost is higher (needs 9:16 video) — only profitable above ₹5L/month ad budget

4. Brand Spotlight

A takeover slot that dedicates a full screen to one brand when shoppers browse a category. Inventory is limited and sold on a priority-bid basis.

• Pricing: CPM ₹400–₹650
• Typical CTR: 1.6–2.4%
• Best for: Category leadership plays, launch weeks, defending against a new entrant
• Notes: Only 1 brand wins Spotlight per category per session; expect high competition in snacks, beverages, dairy

5. Track Order Banner

Shown on the post-purchase order-tracking screen — high attention, low scroll-away.

• Pricing: CPM ₹200–₹340
• Typical CTR: 2.0–3.5% (highest CTR of all Reach formats)
• Best for: Cross-sell (e.g., a chips brand advertising to a cola buyer)
• Caveat: Only works mid-funnel — the shopper already bought; you're chasing the next order, not this one

6. Track Order Video

Same slot, video creative. Autoplays with sound off.

• Pricing: CPM ₹340–₹520
• Typical CTR: 2.4–3.8%
• Best for: Brands with a strong 6-second product story

7. Category Highlight

Dedicated slot at the top of a category listing (e.g., "Snacks & Munchies" top shelf).

• Pricing: CPM ₹180–₹320
• Typical CTR: 1.2–1.8%
• Best for: Category-level share capture, defending incumbents

8. Push Notifications

Sponsored push notification sent to Blinkit users who match targeting criteria (category affinity, repeat buyer behavior).

• Pricing: CPM ₹500–₹850 (but delivery is capped per user)
• Typical CTR: 3.5–6.0%
• Best for: Flash sale announcements, new launches, stockout recovery
• Risk: Overuse damages brand perception; limit to 1 push per user per 30 days

9. Listing Spotlight

A highlighted product tile inside category or search pages with a colored frame.

• Pricing: CPM ₹160–₹260
• Typical CTR: 0.9–1.5%
• Best for: Mid-budget brands that want distinction without banner pricing

10. Brand Booster

A cross-category placement that surfaces all of a brand's SKUs in one unified tile.

• Pricing: CPM ₹240–₹380
• Typical CTR: 1.1–1.7%
• Best for: Multi-SKU brands with strong cross-sell logic

Performance formats (6 placements)

1. Brand Shelf

Sponsored results on branded and generic search queries. Blinkit's equivalent of Amazon Sponsored Products.

• Pricing: CPC ₹3–₹18 (category-dependent)
• Typical CTR: 2.8–4.6%
• Typical ROAS: 5–9x on branded keywords, 3–5x on generic
• Best for: The default performance spend for every Blinkit brand. If you run one format only, this is it.

2. Add to Cart Shelf

Shown when a shopper hits "View Cart." Surfaces complementary products.

• Pricing: CPC ₹4–₹14
• Typical CTR: 4.0–6.5%
• Typical ROAS: 6–10x
• Best for: Low-consideration impulse SKUs (chips, sodas, chocolates). Rarely works for high-ticket items.

3. Brand Showcase

A carousel-style sponsored block at the top of search results for competitor or category terms. Conquesting tool.

• Pricing: CPC ₹8–₹22 (highest CPC of any format)
• Typical CTR: 1.8–2.6%
• Typical ROAS: 2.5–4x
• Best for: Conquesting competitor branded searches (e.g., your kombucha brand bidding on "Raw Pressery")
• Legal: Blinkit restricts conquesting for certain trademarked terms — check approved keyword lists

4. Cart Injection

Suggests a product directly inside the cart UI — below the current cart items with a "+ Add" button.

• Pricing: CPC ₹5–₹15
• Typical CTR: 5.5–8.0% (highest of all Performance formats)
• Typical ROAS: 7–12x
• Best for: AOV-lifting add-ons (garlic bread with pizza, cola with burger SKUs)

5. Product Booster

A generic promotion that boosts a product's ranking in both search and browse results. Less granular than Brand Shelf but simpler to set up.

• Pricing: CPC ₹2–₹10
• Typical CTR: 2.0–3.4%
• Typical ROAS: 3–6x
• Best for: Brands with limited ad ops capacity — set and monitor, not set and forget

6. Recommendation Ads

Sponsored placements inside Blinkit's personalized recommendation rails ("Recommended for you", "You may also like").

• Pricing: CPC ₹3–₹12
• Typical CTR: 2.4–3.8%
• Typical ROAS: 4–7x
• Best for: Repeat-purchase SKUs; underrated format that most brands ignore

Decision matrix: which format for which goal

If your goal is...	Pick this format	Typical spend share
Launching a new SKU	Homepage Banner + Brand Spotlight + Brand Shelf	70/30 split Reach/Performance in week 1–2
Growing an existing best-seller	Brand Shelf + Add to Cart Shelf + Recommendation	100% Performance
Defending category share	Brand Spotlight + Brand Shelf	40/60 Reach/Performance
Conquesting a competitor	Brand Showcase + Brand Shelf on competitor terms	100% Performance
Lifting AOV	Cart Injection + Add to Cart Shelf	100% Performance
Festive / seasonal push	Homepage Banner + Stories + Push + Brand Shelf	50/50 Reach/Performance
Recovering from a stockout	Push Notification (once back in stock)	Time-boxed 48-hour burst

CPC and CPM comparison at a glance

Format family	Pricing model	Range	Typical CTR
Homepage Banner	CPM	₹280–₹450	1.0–1.6%
Stories	CPM	₹320–₹480	1.4–2.2%
Brand Spotlight	CPM	₹400–₹650	1.6–2.4%
Push Notification	CPM	₹500–₹850	3.5–6.0%
Brand Shelf	CPC	₹3–₹18	2.8–4.6%
Add to Cart Shelf	CPC	₹4–₹14	4.0–6.5%
Cart Injection	CPC	₹5–₹15	5.5–8.0%
Brand Showcase	CPC	₹8–₹22	1.8–2.6%
Product Booster	CPC	₹2–₹10	2.0–3.4%
Recommendation Ads	CPC	₹3–₹12	2.4–3.8%

Format stacking strategy

The brands hitting 5–8x blended ROAS on Blinkit don't run single-format campaigns. They stack. A typical winning stack for a ₹3L/month Blinkit budget looks like:

• 60% Brand Shelf — default performance engine, always-on
• 15% Add to Cart Shelf + Cart Injection — AOV and basket-completion lifts
• 15% Recommendation Ads — repeat-purchase capture
• 10% Homepage Banner or Brand Spotlight — rotate weekly, use for launches and festivals

The order matters: never run Reach without active Performance. Reach without Performance is brand equity with no order capture — you pay for attention and competitors capture the click.

What Blinkit doesn't let you do (yet)

• No audience import — you can't upload a Meta lookalike seed list
• No CRM sync — Blinkit doesn't share buyer identities back to brands
• Limited dayparting granularity — you can daypart by hour, but not by day-of-week in a single campaign (as of Q1 2026)
• No conversion tracking outside Blinkit — attribution stops at order completion; post-purchase LTV lives in your own data

Related reading

For a full revenue playbook beyond ads, see how to sell more on Blinkit, Blinkit keyword optimization, and Blinkit campaign structure best practices. To compare Blinkit's ad platform against rivals, see Blinkit vs Zepto ads and Instamart vs Blinkit ads.

Running Blinkit ads and wondering which formats are leaking budget? Get a free audit — we'll analyze every active format and show you exactly where spend is under- or over-allocated.