Digital marketing trends food and beverage brands cannot ignore in 2026
The specific 2026 digital marketing trends most relevant to food and beverage brands, prioritised for visual discovery and retail media coordination.
5 min read
Advertising within major e-commerce marketplaces — Amazon, Flipkart and comparable platforms — has grown into a substantial, distinct advertising category, connecting closely to the broader retail media network trend, with its own specific bidding dynamics and optimisation considerations.
The genuine advantage of marketplace advertising
A shopper searching directly on a marketplace has already demonstrated purchase intent within that specific platform, making marketplace advertising's targeting inherently high-intent compared to broader awareness-stage advertising elsewhere.
Protecting branded search first
A competitor bidding on your own branded product searches within a marketplace can capture demand that should naturally flow to you — defending this specific, high-value branded search space is typically the most efficient, defensible marketplace ad spend available.
The clearest, most defensible marketplace advertising spend is often not chasing new category demand at all — it is simply making sure a competitor's ad does not sit above your own product when someone searches for your brand by name.
Broader category bidding strategy
- Bid on category and competitor terms selectively, based on genuine margin and conversion data.
- Monitor advertising cost of sale (ACoS) closely, since marketplace advertising costs can escalate quickly in competitive categories.
- Combine advertising with strong organic marketplace listing optimisation, since ad spend alone cannot compensate for a weak underlying listing.
Frequently asked questions
Is marketplace advertising necessary even for a well-ranking organic listing?
Often yes, at least defensively for branded search terms, since competitors can otherwise capture that specific, high-intent demand through paid placement above your organic listing.
How does marketplace advertising interact with a brand's own D2C advertising?
Both channels should be evaluated together for overall efficiency, since a customer converting through either channel represents genuine business value, even if the specific channel attribution differs.
Should marketplace advertising strategy differ across platforms (Amazon versus Flipkart)?
Yes, each platform has its own specific auction dynamics, audience and typical competitive intensity, warranting platform-specific strategy rather than a single, identical approach applied universally.
If you want help optimising your marketplace advertising strategy, talk to our team.
The takeaway
Bid more aggressively on your own branded product searches within marketplace advertising than general category terms — protecting your own branded search from a competitor's ad placement typically produces the most efficient, defensible marketplace ad spend.
Written by Fibvo — Bengaluru and Erode, India — working with clients in other time zones. Questions, or think we have it wrong? Tell us.
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