India’s D2C Model Set To Change Buying Patterns: Experts

With the evolution of technology, there has been a drastic change in consumer buying patterns, with many switching to online platforms forever, creating an explosion in the direct-to-consumer (D2C) e-commerce market.

Needless to say, D2C is a widely adopted model these days, and to discuss this unplugged platform, experts came together at the BW Disrupt Founders Forum 2023 in Delhi this week.

Raul Rai, co-founder of Nicobar, said, "Technology is the enabler for D2C, providing an omnichannel experience to consumers.” He added that today, one-third of his company’s revenue comes from online sales.

On similar lines, Akash Agarwal, co-founder of ZOFF Food, expressed that e-commerce helped kickstart his business.

The Pandemic Push

Adding on, Agarwal stressed the grocery model was not booming on the e-commerce platform before COVID, and the critical period boosted their business.

He said, “We started in 2018 with general trade, but the lockdown helped us survive, and today we are among the top five online grocery sellers.”

Agarwal’s remark underlined that COVID was a period when a majority of consumers started trusting online platforms for grocery purchases.

Himanshu Adlakha, co-founder of Winston, also affirmed that his brand evolved during the pandemic. He said, “Being in a beauty tech market, people approached us during lockdowns when access to luxury salons was restricted.” We made a healthy business, he asserted.

The Tech Aid

Vikas Bagaria, founder of Pee Safe, said D2C is aided mainly by technology, as it helps to target customers from diverse regions.

Bagaria said today we have a consumer base in northern India, a possible reach due to technology. He underlined that their maximum sales are from the northern states only.

Punit Gupta, Founder and CEO of Clensta, said the technology not only helps to reach diverse customer groups but also supports pitching the right buyer.

Gupta stressed that his company was able to track the repetitive buyers just by going through their purchase history. Experts concluded by emphasising D2C e-commerce as the right business model for any brand.