The D2C wave

SCALE, TRUST, DISTRIBUTION PAIRED WITH DIGITALAGILITY UNLOCK A MORE COMPETITIVE AND CREATIVE INDUSTRY

- SAUGATA GUPTA

EVERY FEW YEARS, the consumer economy crosses an invisible threshold. From where I sit, these shifts are often visible before they are fully named. What began as accelerated digital adoption during the pandemic years has now settled into something more permanent. Consumers did not simply add new channels to their buying journey. They reconfigured how they discover, evaluate, and trust brands. That reconfiguration, in many ways, is still unfolding.

Today, a consumer's journey resembles a braided river rather than a straight line. Discovery often begins online, shaped by content, reviews, and peervalidation. Familiarity and reassurance are still sought offline via physical presence and habitual touchpoints. The distinction between channels matters far less than the continuity of experience across them. Information, convenience, and trust are the anchors guiding choice.

Against this backdrop, direct-to-consumer (D2C) models have evolved beyond their early framing as a disruptive alternative. D2C represents a structural shift in how brands build relevance, test ideas, and understand demand. Over the last year, one insight has stood out clearly: sharper consumer insight and faster response cycles are no longer optional capabilities. They are now beginning to shape categories themselves, marking a move from reactive adaptation to deliberate design.

As Peter Drucker once observed, "The best way to predict the future is to create it."D2Cbrands have done precisely that by collapsing the distance between intent and execution.

India's D2C ecosystem has entered a phase of scale and sophistication. Industry estimates place the market at approximately $100 billion by the end of 2025, with projections of $185 billion by 2032, growing significantly faster than traditional FMCG segments.