Instamart keyword match types explained (and which one you're probably using wrong)

Last updated: March 2026

If you've never changed your Instamart keyword match type settings, you're almost certainly on broad match. And broad match is almost certainly bleeding your budget. Here's a plain-English breakdown of how match types work, when to use each, and how to fix the most common mistakes.

The three match types, explained simply

Broad match

Your ad shows for any search that Instamart thinks is loosely related to your keyword. If your keyword is "atta", your ad might show for "wheat flour", "multigrain atta", "atta chakki", or "chakki fresh atta". Some of those are great. Some are competitors. Some are totally irrelevant.

Broad match maximises reach but minimises precision. It is the default, and it's the most expensive way to run ads if you're not actively managing it. This is one of the largest sources of ad waste on the platform.

Phrase match

Your ad shows when the search contains your keyword phrase, in order, possibly with words before or after. Keyword: "oats packet" — you'd show for "buy oats packet", "oats packet 1kg", "quick oats packet discount". You wouldn't show for "packet oats" or "oats 1kg".

Better precision than broad. Good for category-level targeting once you know which phrases convert.

Exact match

Your ad only shows when someone searches exactly your keyword (minor variations like plurals allowed). Keyword: [shampoo 200ml] — you show only for "shampoo 200ml" searches. Nothing broader.

Lowest reach, highest precision, lowest wasted spend. Use this for your proven converters.

When to use each match type

Situation	Match Type to Use
New product launch, exploring what converts	Broad (with close monitoring)
Category keywords you've tested for 2+ weeks	Phrase
Your brand name and top-converting terms	Exact
Competitor terms	Phrase or Exact
Seasonal / promotional keywords	Phrase

The right approach is a funnel: start broad to discover, move proven terms to phrase, lock your best performers in exact. Most sellers never move beyond step one.

Negative keywords: your most underused tool

A negative keyword tells Instamart "never show my ad for this search". If you sell premium cold-pressed chips and you're showing up for "cheap chips" or "chips under ₹50" — add those as negatives.

Common examples by category:

• Atta brand selling premium whole wheat: negative keywords — "cheap atta", "atta under 100", "atta 1kg lowest price"
• Premium shampoo: negative keywords — "shampoo sachets", "small shampoo", "trial pack shampoo"
• Chips brand without a plain salted SKU: negative keywords — "plain salted chips", "classic salted"

Negative keywords don't just save money — they improve your quality score, which lowers your CPC on the terms you do want to win.

Add at least 10–15 negative keywords when launching any new campaign. Review your Search Term Report every two weeks and add more.

The most common mistakes

Mistake 1: Broad match on every keyword in a discovery campaign

Discovery campaigns are meant to find what works. But running 50 keywords on broad match simultaneously makes it impossible to know which keyword drove which result. Run 10–15 broad match keywords at a time, review weekly, and graduate the winners.

Mistake 2: Exact match on branded terms without phrase match backup

If you run only exact match on your brand name, you miss variations. "Patanjali atta" vs "Patanjali wheat atta" vs "atta Patanjali" are different searches. Use phrase match for branded terms unless you have granular data on exact search volumes.

Mistake 3: No negatives on broad match campaigns

Launching a broad match campaign with zero negative keywords is leaving the door fully open. On Instamart, where the algorithm is still maturing compared to Google, broad match can drift into surprisingly irrelevant territory. Always pair broad match with a negative keyword list from day one.

Mistake 4: Treating all categories the same

Commoditised categories like atta, rice, and sugar have high search volume but fierce competition — exact match protects your margin here. Niche categories like protein-fortified atta or flavoured rice may need broad match to build volume. The right match type is category-specific.

How to audit your match type mix

Pull your active keyword list and categorise:

1. What percentage is on broad vs phrase vs exact?
2. For your top 20 spending keywords, what match type are they on?
3. Which broad-match keywords have spent >₹500 with ROAS below break-even?

For most accounts audited, 60–75% of spend is on broad match, and 30–40% of that broad spend is on searches that would never convert. That's not a small number — on a ₹30,000/month account, that's ₹5,000–₹7,000 in avoidable waste every month. Tracking your ACOS per match type is the fastest way to find where the bleed is happening.

Match type performance benchmarks

Here's what typical performance looks like across match types on Instamart, based on data from accounts spending ₹20,000–₹1,00,000/month:

Match Type	Avg. CPC	Avg. Conversion Rate	Avg. ACOS	Typical Waste %
Exact match	₹8–₹18	8–14%	12–20%	5–10%
Phrase match	₹6–₹14	5–9%	18–28%	15–22%
Broad match	₹4–₹10	2–5%	30–50%	30–40%

Exact match costs more per click but wastes far less overall. The total cost of customer acquisition is often lower on exact match because you're not paying for irrelevant clicks. Track CPA per match type, not just CPC — a ₹18 exact-match click that converts at 12% costs less per order than a ₹6 broad-match click that converts at 3%.

How match types interact with dayparting

During peak hours (8-10am, 7-10pm), shoppers have higher intent — they know what they want. Exact match performs best here because the search queries are specific. During off-peak hours, shoppers browse more casually, and phrase match can capture discovery intent at lower CPCs.

A practical approach: run exact match campaigns 24/7 (they self-select for high intent) and schedule phrase/broad match campaigns only during peak hours when conversion rates justify the spend. This combines dayparting with match type strategy for maximum budget pacing efficiency.

How Ladya manages this

Ladya analyses your Search Term Reports daily, automatically flags broad-match keywords that are drifting into irrelevant territory, and suggests negative keywords to add. Over time, she builds a match type migration plan — moving proven broad terms to phrase, and top performers to exact — so your budget is always in the highest-precision position that the data justifies. Her bid management engine also adjusts bids per match type based on time of day and quality score signals.

For a complete guide to structuring your Instamart campaigns around match types, see our Instamart campaign structure guide. If you're making common keyword errors beyond just match types, see our 5 keyword mistakes breakdown. And for Blinkit-specific budget strategy, see our Blinkit ad budget guide.

Run a free Ad Waste Audit to see how much broad match drift is costing your account.

Match types aren't a set-and-forget setting. They're the foundation your entire keyword strategy sits on.