D2CX Converge Indore Decodes The New Playbook For Building Enduring Consumer Brands
At the Indore edition of D2CX Converge, founders of leading fashion, beauty and baby care brands shared practical insights on building enduring consumer businesses through omnichannel expansion, disciplined execution and operational excellence.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
The event featured a fireside chat on Koskii's ₹250 Cr-plus omnichannel growth journey and a panel discussion unpacking the distribution, fundraising and organisational playbooks behind scaling brands beyond the ₹100 Cr milestone.
Imagine you have a lemonade stand. To make it successful, you need to make sure people keep coming back to buy lemonade from you. You also need to make sure you have enough lemons and sugar to make lemonade. This is similar to what the founders of successful consumer brands are doing. They are making sure people keep coming back to buy their products and they are also making sure they have enough resources to make and sell their products.
Analysis
India's D2C Ecosystem Enters a New Phase
India's consumer brand ecosystem is entering a new phase, where scale is no longer measured by online reach alone but by a brand's ability to build lasting customer relationships, operate efficiently across channels, and deliver sustainable profitability. The opportunity continues to expand rapidly. According to Inc42's D2C 3.0: The Next Big Wave In Indian Ecommerce Report 2026, India's ecommerce market is projected to grow from $165 Bn in 2026 to $450 Bn by 2031. Over the same period, the country's D2C economy is expected to surge from $65 Bn to $310 Bn, accounting for nearly 86% of the incremental ecommerce GMV generated during the next five years.
The Playbook for Building Successful Consumer Brands is Evolving
Growth at all costs is giving way to disciplined execution, with founders increasingly prioritising omnichannel expansion, customer retention, operational efficiency and sustainable unit economics over vanity metrics. In this environment, learning directly from operators who have successfully navigated these challenges has become more valuable than ever.
Inside Koskii's ₹250 Cr+ Omnichannel Growth Playbook
The fireside chat, themed 'Inside Koskii's ₹250+ Cr Omnichannel Growth Playbook', featured Koskii's Akhter in conversation with Shadowfax's Chandra. Reflecting on Koskii's evolution from a legacy ethnicwear retailer to a ₹250 Cr+ omnichannel brand, Akhter unpacked the company's approach to product innovation, merchandising, inventory planning, fundraising, and building a scalable retail business. A key theme of the discussion was how Koskii built its merchandising engine by combining decades of retail experience with technology. While fashion is often viewed as an intuition-led business, Akhter argued that relying solely on instinct becomes increasingly difficult as brands scale. Instead, Koskii has built an in-house technology stack that analyses years of sales data to identify winning designs, optimise inventory and improve decision-making across thousands of SKUs.
The ₹100 Cr D2C Brand Playbook
The panel discussion brought together founder operators from across the consumer ecosystem, creating a high-trust environment where conversations extended well beyond networking to practical insights on brand building, inventory planning, capital allocation, customer retention, and profitability. The event featured conversations with some of India's leading consumer brand builders, including Ananda Dasgupta, VP, Growth & Revenue, Shadowfax; Anuj Nevatia, Cofounder, Bacca Bucci; Mayank Beria, Founder, Bumtum; Natasha Tuli, Founder & CEO, Soulflower; Praharsh Chandra, Cofounder & CBO, Shadowfax; and Umar Akhter, Cofounder & CEO, Koskii.
Key points
- India's consumer brand ecosystem is entering a new phase, where scale is no longer measured by online reach alone but by a brand's ability to build lasting customer relationships, operate efficiently across channels, and deliver sustainable profitability.
- Growth at all costs is giving way to disciplined execution, with founders increasingly prioritising omnichannel expansion, customer retention, operational efficiency and sustainable unit economics over vanity metrics.
- Learning directly from operators who have successfully navigated these challenges has become more valuable than ever in this environment.
- Koskii has built an in-house technology stack that analyses years of sales data to identify winning designs, optimise inventory and improve decision-making across thousands of SKUs.
- The ₹100 Cr D2C brand playbook is evolving, with founders prioritising operational efficiency, customer retention, and sustainable unit economics over vanity metrics.
If the consumer brand ecosystem continues to evolve in this direction, we can expect to see more successful brands that are built on strong operational fundamentals, disciplined execution, and a focus on customer relationships. This could lead to increased investment in the ecosystem, more opportunities for founders, and a stronger overall market.
However, if the ecosystem continues to prioritize growth at all costs, we may see more brands struggling to maintain profitability, leading to a decrease in investment and opportunities for founders. This could also lead to a stronger focus on short-term gains over long-term sustainability.
