Yash Bhatia, Impact Magazine 29 December 2025 App, Tap, Pay and Zoom it’s delivered - that is Quick commerce for you. And in India, the narrative has so far been defined by speed, scale, high SKU counts, and the dominance of dark stores. Last week, however, Instamart nudged that model by opening an experiential store in Gurugram, allowing consumers to see and feel select products available on the platform. The Bengaluru-based company has positioned the outlet not as a conventional retail store, but as a compact experiential format with a sharply curated assortment of around 100–200 SKUs, compared to the…
By Saumyangi Yadav, Entrepreneur India Dec 15, 2025 India's D2C ecosystem has grown rapidly over the past five years, but scale remains elusive. While thousands of brands have launched and many have crossed early revenue milestones, only a small fraction manage to break past INR 100 crore in annual revenue. According to a new report by DSG Consumer Partners, based on a survey of over 100 Indian D2C founders and operators, the problem is not demand or product-market fit, it is how brands attempt to scale. The report shows that around 60–65 per cent of Indian D2C brands remain stuck…
Shabori Das, ET Bureau Dec 10, 2025 India's social media platforms are powerful marketing tools but not yet retail destinations. Billions scroll and swipe daily, but few buy directly within apps. Unlike China, India faces regulatory hurdles and a lack of integrated payment systems. A billion Indians scroll, swipe and double tap every day, but barely buy. Despite Instagram and Facebook Marketplace being in India for over a decade, social media here remains a showroom, not a store. Creators and D2C brands are hustling to convert attention into action, but the holy grail of in-app shopping where discovery, live streaming,…
Gargi Sarkar, Inc42 7 December 2025 The past year has been nothing short of monumental for LensKart — from reporting another operationally profitable quarter in Q2 FY26 to making the public markets leap in November, and crossing a market capitalisation of INR 70,000 Cr despite a muted stock market debut. A clear shift this year has been Lenskart’s effort to move beyond the image of a ‘basic D2C eyewear’ brand selling prescription glasses and sunglasses. The company is now working to reposition itself as a new-age tech brand. Further, Lenskart is rethinking where and how its products are manufactured. Currently,…
Priyamvada C, Mint 1 Dec 2025 A wave of investor capital is flowing into India’s laboratory-grown diamond (LGD) segment, as fastscaling brands tap rising consumer adoption in a market now worth well over $300 million. New-age brands have raised multiple rounds of capital on the back of growing market share and improving margins. Actor Shilpa Shetty-backed Limelight, which is in talks to raise its second round of capital this year, joins the growing list of other small brands such as Onya, Giva, Jewelbox, Lucira Jewellery and Aukera, among others, who have snagged monies in recent months. Limelight has appointed Ambit…
Modern retail, consumption, brand building, M&A, balance of power between brands & retailers/platforms, sustainability vs growth and more; tune in if you're building for the long run
@vishalkrishna @devangshu
Youtube:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2G48xN2jhtSyIBhoZj7LCH...
Speaking with @Priyamouli1812, @devangshu explained that new-age lab grown diamond players are forcing traditional jewellers to introduce LGD options or risk losing younger customers.
New tax & labour rules: What rising compliance costs mean for e-comm platforms.
Industry analysts say new rules have lifted per-order costs and platforms will now have less room to burn cash on promos; Discounts and zero-fee offers may also be a thing of the past.
India’s retail media growth: Will new players find room against Amazon and Flipkart?
New retail media platforms are emerging, but with Amazon and Flipkart holding the largest share, challenger brands face an uphill task of driving incremental sales and reaching unique audiences.
