How much does auto rickshaw advertising cost?
A lit board inside an auto costs ₹80 a day, ₹75 from 50 boards and ₹70 from 100 boards, before GST. What that comes to, what it includes, whether it will pay for your business, and how to start small.
Updated
The short answer
A board costs ₹80 a day, ₹75 from 50 boards and ₹70 from 100 boards, before GST at 18%. A month is 30 days, counted from the day your ad is fitted. The smallest campaign is 10 autos for one month, ₹24,000 plus GST.
The rate is the same for one month or six, and it stays fixed for your campaign once it is booked.
One month, worked out
| Autos | Per board per day | Before GST | GST at 18% | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ₹80 | ₹24,000 | ₹4,320 | ₹28,320 |
| 25 | ₹80 | ₹60,000 | ₹10,800 | ₹70,800 |
| 50 | ₹75 | ₹1,12,500 | ₹20,250 | ₹1,32,750 |
| 100 | ₹70 | ₹2,10,000 | ₹37,800 | ₹2,47,800 |
The GST is usually not a cost
If your business is registered for GST, the GST on an advertising invoice can usually be claimed back as input tax credit, because the advertising is for your business. Your real cost is then the price before GST, not the total.
So compare quotes before GST, and make sure the invoice carries your GSTIN. Your accountant can confirm it for your business.
Will it pay for itself? Do this sum first
Do not judge an ad by one bill. Judge it by what a new customer is worth to you over a year: how often they come back, times the profit you make on a usual visit.
Then divide. An example: a month on 10 autos is ₹24,000 before GST. If a regular customer brings you ₹1,200 of profit in a year, you need 20 new regulars from that month for it to pay. If a customer brings ₹200, you need 120, and a better offer or a different channel may suit you more.
Write your own two numbers down before you book anything. It turns "is advertising worth it" into a question with an answer.
What the price includes
- Your ad printed and fitted on a lit board behind the driver's seat, facing the passenger.
- A QR code on every board, with the scans counted for you.
- Every board photographed every 3 days.
- A report every week, with dated photos, kilometres, the areas the autos went to and your QR scans.
- The ad design, free, when you book 25 or more autos for at least one month.
Why quotes for auto ads differ so much
Check what is being sold. A sticker on the back or the hood of an auto is seen from outside by the traffic around it, usually for a few seconds. A board inside the auto is seen by the passenger for the whole 10 to 15 minute ride. They are different things, priced differently.
- How many autos, and for how many days?
- Are printing and fitting included?
- Is the price before or after GST?
- What will you be shown each week to prove the ads ran?
How to start without overspending
Start with 10 autos for one month and one clear offer: a discount, a free first visit, free delivery. Point the QR code at a WhatsApp chat with a message already written, such as "Hi, I saw your ad in an auto", so every enquiry tells you where it came from.
At the end of the month, count the scans in your weekly reports and the people who came in with the offer, and do the sum above. Renew only if the numbers say so. The rate per board stays the same for any length, and it drops at 50 and at 100 boards.
Open the sample weekly report