Indian companies push marketing spend as sales hit slow lane, shows data

The surge comes amid a consumption slowdown that dragged economic growth to 5.4 per cent in the September quarter, the weakest in nearly two years

Amid muted revenue growth, companies ramped up spending on attracting customers in the previous quarter, marking the highest levels in four years.

 

Advertising and marketing expenses as a proportion of net sales rose to 0.39 per cent in the September 2024 quarter, up from 0.36 per cent in the year-ago quarter and 0.3 per cent in the corresponding period of 2022, according to data from tracker Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.  The latest figure is the highest since the Covid-hit September 2020 quarter when it reached 0.4 per cent. 

 

In absolute terms, such spending trended higher, too. A sample of