Coffee on Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto, Bengaluru — what the shelf actually looks like.
On Swiggy Instamart, NOICE held 166 sponsored placements for “cold brew coffee” — 37% of everything paid in that search. Each dark store carries its own assortment, ranks from its own local signals, and sells its own ad slots, so a brand's “national” position in this category is an average of shelves that don't resemble each other.
Read from the public shelf a shopper sees on Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto, across 9 dark stores in Bengaluru, on 1 August 2026. No seller account, no brand's private data, nothing supplied by anyone. Rank is position within the results each shelf returned, so a worst rank means “bottom of what we could read in that store”, not bottom of the catalogue. Ads are counted as sponsored slots owned, never rupees spent — bids aren't public. Depth is how many products a store returned for the search, and the platforms cap results differently, so compare depth consistency between stores rather than raw totals. One city, one day: a snapshot, not a trend. *Lowest seen is the lowest position we observed for that brand within the results a store returned — the platforms cap result counts, so it is a floor on what we could read, not a claim that the brand ranks there in the full catalogue.
The two platforms are not the same shelf
Blinkit carried the wider selection (about 22 distinct brands per search versus Swiggy Instamart's 22), while Zepto was far more consistent store to store — its depth swung by at most 16 products between its own stores, against 36 on the other. Swiggy Instamart and Zepto had an advertiser in every single store for every search we ran — there was no uncontested shelf at all.
For a brand that is a real trade-off, not a preference: a wider shelf means more competitors listed but more inconsistency to exploit; a uniform shelf means fewer rivals but nowhere quiet to land.
| Search | Distinct brands | Depth per store | Stores with ads | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blinkit | Swiggy Instamart | Zepto | Blinkit | Swiggy Instamart | Zepto | Blinkit | Swiggy Instamart | Zepto | |
| cold brew coffee | 21 | 21 | 15 | 23–36 | 77–118 | 14–30 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 |
| instant coffee | 22 | 24 | 10 | 0–36 | 42–51 | 21–25 | 8/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 |
| coffee powder | 22 | 21 | 15 | 24–36 | 47–52 | 24–28 | 9/9 | 9/9 | 9/9 |
Blinkit in detail
“cold brew coffee” on Blinkit
21 distinct brands across 9 stores. Depth ran 23–36 products per store. Sponsored slots in 9 of 9 stores — every store had an advertiser. Prices ₹5–₹1099 (median ₹130).
Where brands peaked: Blue Tokai reached #1 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Sleepy Owl reached #2 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Tata Coffee reached #15 at best, in 9 of 9 stores.
Most sponsored slots: Bru with 17.
| Brand | In stores | Best rank | Lowest seen* | Sponsored slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Tokai | 9/9 (100%) | #1 | #35 | 7 |
| Sleepy Owl | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #36 | 1 |
| Bru | 9/9 (100%) | #5 | #20 | 17 |
| Tata Coffee | 9/9 (100%) | #15 | #36 | — |
| Nescafe Classic | 9/9 (100%) | #16 | #34 | — |
| Nescafe Sunrise | 9/9 (100%) | #17 | #33 | — |
| Cavin's | 8/9 (89%) | #12 | #19 | — |
| Paper Boat | 8/9 (89%) | #18 | #26 | — |
“instant coffee” on Blinkit
22 distinct brands across 9 stores. Depth ran 0–36 products per store — at least one store returned nothing at all for this search while another returned a full shelf. Sponsored slots in 8 of 9 stores, leaving 1 with no advertiser at all. Prices ₹5–₹1290 (median ₹218).
Where brands peaked: Levista reached #3 at best, in 8 of 9 stores; Bru reached #2 at best, in 8 of 9 stores; Nescafe Sunrise reached #4 at best, in 8 of 9 stores.
Most sponsored slots: Bru Gold with 13.
| Brand | In stores | Best rank | Lowest seen* | Sponsored slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Levista | 8/9 (89%) | #3 | #36 | — |
| Davidoff | 8/9 (89%) | #4 | #35 | — |
| Nescafe Sunrise | 8/9 (89%) | #4 | #36 | 3 |
| Continental | 8/9 (89%) | #7 | #36 | 4 |
| Bru | 8/9 (89%) | #2 | #35 | 3 |
| Cothas | 8/9 (89%) | #4 | #31 | — |
| Sleepy Owl | 8/9 (89%) | #10 | #36 | 11 |
| Bru Gold | 7/9 (78%) | #1 | #5 | 13 |
“coffee powder” on Blinkit
22 distinct brands across 9 stores. Depth ran 24–36 products per store. Sponsored slots in 9 of 9 stores — every store had an advertiser. Prices ₹5–₹1290 (median ₹144).
Where brands peaked: Bru reached #2 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Cothas reached #2 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Nescafe reached #8 at best, in 9 of 9 stores.
Most sponsored slots: Tata Coffee with 17.
| Brand | In stores | Best rank | Lowest seen* | Sponsored slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cothas | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #35 | — |
| Bru | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #36 | 6 |
| Nescafe | 9/9 (100%) | #8 | #36 | — |
| Amul Kool Cafe | 9/9 (100%) | #12 | #32 | — |
| Continental | 9/9 (100%) | #12 | #36 | 9 |
| Tata Coffee | 9/9 (100%) | #9 | #35 | 17 |
| Nescafe Classic | 8/9 (89%) | #4 | #32 | — |
| Levista | 8/9 (89%) | #6 | #32 | — |
Swiggy Instamart in detail
“cold brew coffee” on Swiggy Instamart
21 distinct brands across 9 stores. Depth ran 77–118 products per store. Sponsored slots in 9 of 9 stores — every store had an advertiser. Prices ₹21–₹999 (median ₹190).
Where brands peaked: Sleepy Owl reached #1 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Blue Tokai reached #1 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Third Wave Coffee reached #4 at best, in 9 of 9 stores.
Most sponsored slots: NOICE with 166.
| Brand | In stores | Best rank | Lowest seen* | Sponsored slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sleepy Owl | 9/9 (100%) | #1 | #41 | — |
| PFC Foods | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #4 | 10 |
| Epigamia | 9/9 (100%) | #4 | #14 | 138 |
| Blue Tokai | 9/9 (100%) | #1 | #39 | — |
| Maiva Fresh | 9/9 (100%) | #12 | #22 | 88 |
| Maiva Pro | 9/9 (100%) | #12 | #34 | 32 |
| NOICE | 9/9 (100%) | #12 | #36 | 166 |
| Third Wave Coffee | 9/9 (100%) | #4 | #40 | 17 |
“instant coffee” on Swiggy Instamart
24 distinct brands across 9 stores. Depth ran 42–51 products per store. Sponsored slots in 9 of 9 stores — every store had an advertiser. Prices ₹62–₹1708 (median ₹360).
Where brands peaked: Bru reached #3 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Continental reached #1 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; TATA Coffee reached #4 at best, in 9 of 9 stores.
Most sponsored slots: Continental with 43.
| Brand | In stores | Best rank | Lowest seen* | Sponsored slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental | 9/9 (100%) | #1 | #36 | 43 |
| Home Blend Coffee Roasters | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #2 | 9 |
| Bru | 9/9 (100%) | #3 | #39 | 16 |
| TATA Coffee | 9/9 (100%) | #4 | #38 | 20 |
| Nescafe Sunrise | 9/9 (100%) | #5 | #39 | — |
| Sleepy Owl | 9/9 (100%) | #9 | #39 | — |
| Vaishnavi Estate | 9/9 (100%) | #18 | #38 | 31 |
| Beanies | 9/9 (100%) | #20 | #32 | 28 |
“coffee powder” on Swiggy Instamart
21 distinct brands across 9 stores. Depth ran 47–52 products per store. Sponsored slots in 9 of 9 stores — every store had an advertiser. Prices ₹54–₹1984 (median ₹317).
Where brands peaked: Nescafe reached #1 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Bru reached #4 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Continental reached #1 at best, in 9 of 9 stores.
Most sponsored slots: Continental with 67.
| Brand | In stores | Best rank | Lowest seen* | Sponsored slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Blend Coffee Roasters | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #2 | 9 |
| Continental | 9/9 (100%) | #1 | #30 | 67 |
| Bru | 9/9 (100%) | #4 | #39 | 27 |
| Nescafe | 9/9 (100%) | #1 | #37 | — |
| TATA Coffee | 9/9 (100%) | #12 | #35 | 16 |
| Vaishnavi Estate | 9/9 (100%) | #18 | #38 | 29 |
| NOICE | 9/9 (100%) | #5 | #33 | — |
| Toffee Coffee Roasters | 9/9 (100%) | #26 | #38 | 15 |
Zepto in detail
“cold brew coffee” on Zepto
15 distinct brands across 9 stores. Depth ran 14–30 products per store. Sponsored slots in 9 of 9 stores — every store had an advertiser. Prices ₹38–₹570 (median ₹99).
Where brands peaked: Nescafe reached #2 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Tata Coffee Grand reached #3 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Sleepy Owl reached #2 at best, in 9 of 9 stores.
Most sponsored slots: Cavin's with 26.
| Brand | In stores | Best rank | Lowest seen* | Sponsored slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colombian Brew | 9/9 (100%) | #1 | #23 | 8 |
| Sleepy Owl | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #26 | — |
| Tata Coffee Grand | 9/9 (100%) | #3 | #30 | 2 |
| Nescafe | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #30 | — |
| Cavin's | 9/9 (100%) | #7 | #19 | 26 |
| Third Wave Coffee | 9/9 (100%) | #5 | #24 | — |
| Continental | 9/9 (100%) | #17 | #27 | 19 |
| Tata Coffee | 9/9 (100%) | #8 | #28 | — |
“instant coffee” on Zepto
10 distinct brands across 9 stores. Depth ran 21–25 products per store. Sponsored slots in 9 of 9 stores — every store had an advertiser. Prices ₹2.16–₹598 (median ₹120).
Where brands peaked: Bevzilla reached #1 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Nescafe reached #3 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Continental reached #2 at best, in 9 of 9 stores.
Most sponsored slots: Sleepy Owl with 25.
| Brand | In stores | Best rank | Lowest seen* | Sponsored slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bevzilla | 9/9 (100%) | #1 | #29 | 17 |
| Continental | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #28 | 9 |
| Bru | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #28 | 3 |
| Nescafe | 9/9 (100%) | #3 | #30 | — |
| Sleepy Owl | 9/9 (100%) | #5 | #30 | 25 |
| Tata Coffee Grand | 9/9 (100%) | #12 | #27 | 15 |
| Colombian Brew | 8/9 (89%) | #15 | #23 | 9 |
| iD Fresh | 6/9 (67%) | #18 | #30 | — |
“coffee powder” on Zepto
15 distinct brands across 9 stores. Depth ran 24–28 products per store. Sponsored slots in 9 of 9 stores — every store had an advertiser. Prices ₹2.16–₹801 (median ₹153).
Where brands peaked: Nescafe reached #1 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Continental reached #2 at best, in 9 of 9 stores; Bevzilla reached #1 at best, in 9 of 9 stores.
Most sponsored slots: Continental with 31.
| Brand | In stores | Best rank | Lowest seen* | Sponsored slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nescafe | 9/9 (100%) | #1 | #30 | — |
| Bevzilla | 9/9 (100%) | #1 | #28 | 9 |
| Bru | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #13 | 13 |
| Continental | 9/9 (100%) | #2 | #30 | 31 |
| Tata Coffee Grand | 9/9 (100%) | #4 | #29 | 10 |
| iD Fresh | 9/9 (100%) | #4 | #30 | — |
| Davidoff | 8/9 (89%) | #12 | #26 | — |
| VS Mani & Co. | 8/9 (89%) | #14 | #30 | — |
See your own brand's shelf, store by store
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Keep reading
- The Dark Store Index — all category reports.
- Why rank differs in every dark store — the mechanic behind the spread above.
- Brand-term conquest
- Glossary