Food & beverage case study: plan for ₹5L to ₹36.8L monthly revenue in 6 months

New ads per month

1. 1

   Research & offer · Month 1

   What we'd do

   Set up the base for a mid-sized food and beverage store before any budget rises. Put the website audit, the creative brief and the monthly media plan in place before spend moves. Use cart-value tiers so larger baskets earn a better offer.

   Why

   A mid-sized food and beverage brand came to us to grow monthly revenue in 6 months, from ₹5L to ₹1Cr (20x). Nine in ten of the accounts we measured grew more slowly than that in the same time; the plan is built on what the fastest tenth reached, and shows the gap to the target honestly. The booking gave no single problem, so the plan starts from the numbers. Without a brief, each creative and budget decision starts from scratch. A larger basket spreads the cost of each order over more revenue.

   How it works

   The audit, the brief and the media plan are shared before spend rises. The tiers follow real order values, not round numbers.

2. 2

   Measurement & targets · Month 1 to 6

   What we'd do

   Keep a shared daily sheet with the ad platform's revenue next to real store orders. Write month-by-month targets with the brand's team that climb from ₹5L to ₹1Cr, and open every review with the month-to-date number against them. Set a written rule: no budget step in a month where return would fall too far to pay for it.

   Why

   It did not report a return on ad spend, so the plan starts from what measured stores of that size hold. Ad platforms claim more orders than stores record, so the store number decides budget. Written targets expose a slow month while there is still time to act.

   How it works

   Every budget call starts from the store's orders. Each budget step is argued against the written target. Where return would slip too far, the month keeps last month's budget.

3. 3

   Creative testing · Month 1

   What we'd do

   Test with video, catalogue ads and UGC and creator video first, rising to several dozen new ads a month by the final month, keeping carousel on a short leash because its return trails the account. Run one broad video campaign of the core products, with a customer testimonial, and give it most of the budget. The learning month runs on a small daily budget, stepping up only once orders confirm. Separate the lead products into their own campaigns and review each one weekly.

   Why

   Broad delivery lets the algorithm find buyers for an everyday product. The first rupees are for finding the buyer, not for volume. A product nobody buys is visible within a week when it has its own campaign.

   How it works

   A video that takes off gets the budget; tests that do not convert are cut. Only confirmed orders at the low budget unlock the next step. A product that does not sell is paused inside the week. The number of new ads grows with spend; video makes up the largest part and catalogue ads the next.

4. 4

   Scaling · Month 2 to 4

   What we'd do

   Scale through Month 2 to Month 4 toward ₹1Cr as the budget climbs steeply and return falls, with Instagram Reels taking the largest share of spend and Instagram Feed the next. Raise budget only while return on spend holds, and cut it when return drops. Front-load about a third of each month's budget into the first week.

   Why

   Across Month 2 to Month 4, the modelled budget climbs steeply, and return on spend falls as it does. In one of these months the step is trimmed to the size return can hold. Spend scaled in our measured accounts pushed cost per order up and return down, so no step is taken on hope. Early-month demand is stronger for repeat consumables.

   How it works

   There is no fixed ramp; each month's budget follows the return of the last. The monthly budget curve is weighted to the opening days. In the final month, Instagram Reels takes the most spend and Instagram Feed the next most. Prospecting to new buyers takes the bulk of spend, while retargeting returns more for each rupee.

5. 5

   Steady state · Month 5 to 6

   What we'd do

   From Month 5, hold the gains and push toward ₹1Cr only as far as return allows. Hold a creative bank and swap tired ads out before click-through falls. Show new arrivals to past buyers first, and build lookalikes from the ones who came back.

   Why

   From Month 5 growth slows while revenue is still under ₹1Cr. Spend still grows, at a slower pace than during scaling. In one account we measured, click-through fell before revenue did; refresh is how that is avoided. Repeat buyers are the cheapest orders an account gets.

   How it works

   Refreshes are gradual: a few new ads at a time. New arrivals go to past buyers first, before broad prospecting.

1. Month 1

   First, the set-up: the first ads run on a small daily budget while tracking is checked against store orders. The website audit, creative brief and media plan are shared. Cart-value offers go live at checkout.

   • Projected revenue ₹5.3L
   • Projected ROAS 2.78x
   • Planned ad spend ₹1.9L
2. Month 2

   The scaling phase opens: the creative bank supplies this period's refresh. Return holds as the budget steps up.

   • Projected revenue ₹7.8L
   • Projected ROAS 2.76x
   • Planned ad spend ₹2.8L
3. Month 3

   The weekly product read pauses the products that are not selling. Return falls as the budget more than doubles.

   • Projected revenue ₹17.9L
   • Projected ROAS 2.35x
   • Planned ad spend ₹7.6L
4. Month 4

   New arrivals go to past buyers first. The budget step stops where return would slip: return dips as the budget steps up sharply.

   • Projected revenue ₹34.4L
   • Projected ROAS 2.10x
   • Planned ad spend ₹16.4L
5. Month 5

   From here the work shifts to keeping ads fresh and bringing buyers back. The budget step stops where return would slip: return holds as the budget steps up.

   • Projected revenue ₹37.2L
   • Projected ROAS 2.04x
   • Planned ad spend ₹18.3L
6. Month 6

   Budget is reviewed against return before the next step. The budget step stops where return would slip: return dips as the budget holds. The plan finishes short of ₹1Cr: budget stops rising where return would slip. Each order costs more by the end than it did while learning.

   • Projected revenue ₹36.8L
   • Projected ROAS 1.95x
   • Planned ad spend ₹18.8L

1. 01

   Put most of the budget behind one broad video campaign of the core products, and scale a video that takes off.

2. 02

   Front-load about a third of each month's budget into the first week.

3. 03

   Cost per order stayed well above what a low-price consumable can carry.