The Best Time to Run Ads on Swiggy/Zomato (And When Not To)

Introduction: Timing is Everything in Food Delivery

Running ads on Swiggy and Zomato can boost your orders—but only if you're strategic about when you run them. Most restaurants waste money by bidding during the wrong hours or targeting times that don’t align with their cuisine, location, or customer behavior.

In this blog, we’ll break down exactly when to run ads on Swiggy and Zomato to get maximum ROI—and when to avoid them completely.

Why Timing Matters for Swiggy/Zomato Ads

• Ad slots are auction-based—more demand = higher cost

• Your audience is only active during certain meals and moods

• Platform algorithms prioritize high-performing time blocks

Best Times to Run Ads by Meal Period

✅ Lunch Boost: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

• Office orders, solo diners, and quick meals

• Works well for biryani, thalis, bowls, fast Indian, combos

Pro Tip: Start your ad 30 minutes early to get seen before the lunch rush peaks.

✅ Dinner Peak: 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM

• Families, couples, group orders

• Works for multi-cuisine, North Indian, Asian, pizzas

Ideal for: Higher AOV (Average Order Value) and premium combos.

✅ Late-Night Binge: 10:30 PM – 1:00 AM (if open late)

• Gen Z, night-shift workers, weekend orders

• Best for burgers, desserts, momos, street food

Pro Tip: Target this slot especially on Fridays and Saturdays—the spike is real.

 When NOT to Run Ads

❌ Early Mornings (7 AM – 10 AM)

• Very low conversion rate

• Most users browse, few order

❌ Mid-Afternoon (3 PM – 5 PM)

• Sluggish traffic

• Poor ROAS unless you're a café or bakery

❌ All-Day Ads with No Time Targeting

• Wastes budget on low-performing hours

• Dilutes your ad’s competitiveness

Real Performance Snapshot

Time Slot	Clicks	Orders	Avg. Order Value	ROAS
12:00–2:00 PM	180	24	₹320	4.2x
7:30–9:30 PM	210	28	₹390	5.1x
3:00–5:00 PM	90	4	₹280	1.3x
10:30–12:30 AM	150	18	₹310	4.0x

Geo-Based Strategy Tips

• Corporate Areas: Run ads heavy on weekdays for lunch

• Residential Zones: Focus on dinner + weekends

• College Areas: Late-night + weekend spikes

Smart Budget Strategy

• Run ads during 3–4 peak slots/day

• Rotate cuisines or combos based on time

• Use dayparting in your dashboard settings

Pro Tips from Our Campaigns

• Use combo names in your ad titles to boost CTR: “Biryani Thali + Dessert – ₹199 Only”

• Test day-of-week performance: Fridays and Sundays tend to outperform midweek days

• Turn off ads on days you have low inventory or staff shortages

Final Thoughts: Ad Timing = Performance Multiplier

It’s not about spending more—it’s about spending smarter. Most restaurants who shift to time-based ad strategy see 2x–3x improvement in ROAS within the first week.

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