Arindam Paul

Most brands in India suck at after sales customer service because it is not easy to give reliable service at scale. And there are 3 core qualities you need in any great after sales service leader/service org First and foremost, empathy. You must be able to put yourself in the shoes of the consumer everytime there is a problem and empathisize with him. You will have to operate from a default position that customer is right. In India, it is other way round and the default position most people have is customer is trying to cheat the system. When you operate from a default trust mindset, yes 5 pc consumers will cheat you and with time you will build processes to weed them out. But the rest 95 pc will have a delightful experience and become life long evangelists Secondly, service requires the highest degree of problem identification and putting processes to solve them at scale. The team needs to be full of problem solvers. Each escalation is a way to identify more edge cases and strengthen the process. Again most after sales service orgs lack this. You will find the top talent in any consumer brand in sales/marketing/product, but very rarely in service And lastly, very strong ops muscle. You need people who can get things done. Leaders who get their hands dirty day in day out. Things will break on a daily basis, but you need the muscles to recover 99 pc of escalations Having leaders and a service org that does all of these 3 together is very rare. Almost non existent. But if done right, the opportunity it unlocks is massive

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If Q-comm is your core channel as a D2C brand - odds are your margins are getting squeezed. See it before it’s too late. Back in 2021, If your product showed up on Zepto or Blinkit, you’d screenshot it and send it to your investor group. It was a big deal. It felt like traction. And it still is. It’s a new channel of distribution because just getting listed is an unlock. The logic is simple: be there → get visibility → more orders → more growth. Over the last 18 months, I’ve heard the same thing from multiple founders: Orders are still coming in but the profits? Negative. I don’t blame the platforms. I have massive respect for all of them. They’re doing what they have to - working towards their own profitability. It’s a natural progression. But, this is commonplace. Founders tell me: “I sold ₹2.1 Cr on qcomm last quarter… and ended the month with ₹30L in losses.” “The platform takes 35%. The customer takes the discount and I don’t even get a phone number.” That’s when I realised: Platforms may still drive GMV but they’re eroding contribution margin. And, of course they are. Two have parent companies that have IPO’ed and the 3rd is trying to. They need to protect their own P&Ls. Which means listing fees, steep commissions, visibility charges and discounts every month (because there’s always a festival in India). It’s starting to look like modern trade for the new age. If you’re scaling top-line but bleeding at the unit level, and building low LTV - you’re in trouble. In this new world, most q-comm platforms are have to charge insurgent brands more while FMCG giants get to negotiate 10–15% commissions. Plus, they don’t worry about CAC or customer retention because they already have recall. But, D2C founders pay 30–45% commissions (3x more), spend on ads to stay visible, and still get undercut by someone running a deeper coupon. I think founders will have to step back and ask, “What are we really making per order?” And when early-stage founders ask me — “Should we list on Q-comm?” I say: List. It’s the most powerful channel for sales if you get it right. But, like any channel - it doesn’t work for everyone and everything. Within 3 months take a call. Only if your unit economics are strong enough - continue. Would you list on qcomm today? Have you seen the same? #d2c #fmcg #distribution #qcomm

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Late entrants in ecommerce have scaled massively by being 10x better than incumbents either on assortment (think – FirstCry, Lenskart, Myntra) or pricing (think – FK in 2015, Meesho, Temu) or experience (delivery time for Zepto/ Blinkit). Feel that the next lever of disruption will again be on experience – but not post purchase (i.e delivery time) but rather pre-purchase. The problem statement is how to accelerate purchase decision making for a customer – either through better discovery or reduction of effort during order placement.   This need has just accentuated due to overdose of excessive choices everywhere. I call it “analysis paralysis” days of e-commerce. There are 2m ecom sellers in india. Even a simple “red dress” has 11k options and 1.3k brands on Myntra, a utility like power bank has 500+ SKUs. Ratio of products browsed to actual conversion has never been lower.   For the sake of simplicity, there are two types of shopping decisions – -  Inspiration led – very subjective. More discovery vs search. Applies for design oriented catg like apparel, home décor, jewelry, experiences -  Intent led – some degree of objectivity and standardization. There is science behind selection (e.g., rating/ review, lowest price) as attributes are measurable. Applies to flight tickets, electronics, food/ grocery   The good news is that there is a strong ‘why now’ for a new platform to exist across both – Gen AI!   Inspiration led:  With the advent of AI, search is now intelligent. It can move away from keyword/ tag-based search to context / semantic meaning based (which is exactly how humans think). It no longer just matches words but understands intent, meaning and can be used across all form factors (text, image, video) interchangeably. What this means is – searching “outfits for a trek”, “minimalistic themed white dining room” “dresses for a sunny day” can generate precise, curated results and inspiration visuals (vs thousands of loosely relevant options earlier). It can then scan through all brands and marketplaces to find the closest match.   All of this leads to a conversational and discovery led version of Myntra where need to scan 200 options before a purchase, can be skipped.   The cherry on top is personalization (which hasn’t been done well in typical ecommerce) driving curated products based on your history/ taste.   Intent led: Possibility of AI agents to execute end to end purchase. Any decision that can be broken into logic and micro steps should no longer require a human for execution (e.g., book cheapest flight from DEL to MUM on XX date closer to noon; buy spinach from Blinkit and best reviewed yet priced in bottom 10%ile power bank from a trusted seller on AMZ).   We will enter an era of curation led commerce where anyone that can shorten the thinking process can build a large scale ecommerce platform. Maybe the next set of ecommerce would start as affiliate platform (layer on other ecom) before they finally make it big on their own.

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In just two years, India’s Q-commerce market has grown by 280%. It’s now projected to hit $9.95 billion by 2029. From Blinkit to Instamart to Zepto, the channel is scaling fast—driven by instant gratification and frequency of purchase. But scaling in Q-commerce isn’t just about being fast. For challenger brands, it’s about being deliberate. After working through the chaos, here’s a framework we’ve built around the 4 A’s of winning Q-com: 1. Assortment Q-com isn’t just a top-up channel. In fact, 4L detergent is the top-selling SKU across platforms. Most brands make the mistake of throwing in long-tail SKUs just to “get listed.” They get delisted soon enough. Focus on depth, not width. Track the first 6–8 SKUs per category. What sells. What moves up. Context is everything—your 500ml may outdo someone else’s 2L. Nail your entry price point before pushing pack sizes. 2. Availability This is where most brands break. Q-com is more about supply chain agility than sales strategy. The goal? On-Shelf Availability (OSA)—not just high PO volume or fill rates. Here’s what worked: Track days of cover—don’t over-supply. A big PO is a steroid hit, not a strategy. Get smart about stock planning. Over- and understocking both hurt, but if you had to pick, overstocking is the safer bet. Push for manual POs when needed—missing demand is far worse. Push for faster TATs and delivery appointments. Hustle. Especially if you're not yet big enough in the category. Hit 95%+ fill rate and deliver in the first attempt. PO expiry extensions increase fill rate but don’t improve OSA, rather they mask it. Build relationships—with warehouse and inwarding teams, not just the portal. It’s the most underrated unlock. Track competitor OSA by city—you’ll find under-served demand. That delta is your edge. 3. Ads Q-com isn’t a discovery-first platform. It’s trust-first. Consumers buy what they already know—because there are no returns. So ads aren’t for brand awareness—they’re for de-risking the trial. Don’t push what you want to sell. Push what the consumer is most likely to try. Use placements outside the ad console. Think visibility, not just ROI. 4. Average Selling Price Price strategy isn’t per SKU—it’s at a category level. Decide your brand’s position relative to the market leader. Have SKUs that drive trial, and SKUs that build the basket. Focus on price per unit (PPU) and smart pack sizes—not just discounts. And finally—go deep before going wide. One strong channel will always outperform weak presence across three. The others will come if you build real value. More on each point soon.

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Excited about the upcoming IPOs of Urban Company, Lenskart.com, and Meesho. All of these have shown excellent execution in tough markets carving out their own supply chains and being category creators. They have also learnt from the tech IPO wave 1.0 and 2.0 since 2021 and are better prepared and positioned to know what public investors seek Expecting strong value creation by these companies in the next decade on the public markets and rooting for their success! Ps. This is not an investment recommendation advice!

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OYO didn’t begin as a hotel chain. It began as a simple website. Ritesh Agarwal spotted a gap: India’s budget hotels were unorganized and hard to trust. Instead of buying hotels or raising massive funding, he validated demand with Oravel Stays—a simple aggregator site listing budget rooms. When travelers started booking, the idea was proven. Only then did OYO evolve into the standardized hospitality brand we know. Validation Steps: 1️⃣ Aggregated supply instead of owning it. 2️⃣ Measured traction with early bookings. 3️⃣ Pivoted once demand was clear. 💡Lesson: Validation doesn’t always mean building the full solution. Sometimes, listing what already exists is enough to prove demand. Would your startup survive if you tested with the lightest possible version of your idea first? #startups #startupecosystem #pitchdecks #pitchinminutes #success #failure #successstories #failurestories #validation #ecommerce #linkedin

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Here are 5 D2C Trends to Watch in 2025… India’s D2C e-commerce market is evolving fast, and 2025 is shaping up to be another year of innovation. Here are five trends I see defining the space: 1. Omnichannel Commerce Digital-first brands are moving offline to connect with customers in new ways. Take Skippi, for example. They started online but are now placing their ice pops in physical stores to offer a hands-on experience. Blending digital and physical is becoming essential for growth. 2. Faster Checkouts, Better Tracking Convenience is king. D2C brands are investing in one-click payments, wallet integrations, and real-time logistics tracking. The goal is a smoother, more reliable customer journey. 3. Returns Made Simple Returns are no longer just operational—they are strategic. Features like one-click returns and automated pickups are turning returns into a competitive advantage. 4. Sustainability as a Core Value Customers want brands that care about the planet. Recyclable packaging, ethical sourcing, and renewable energy are no longer optional—they are must-haves to build trust and loyalty. 5. Hyperlocal Delivery for the Win Last-mile efficiency is the new battlefield. With strategically placed warehouses and hyperlocal delivery systems, brands can delight customers with faster and more reliable deliveries. These trends are opportunities to connect with customers and stay ahead in a competitive market. P.S. Which of these trends do you see shaping the future of D2C? #D2C #EcommerceTrends #D2CBrands #RetailInnovation #Omnichannel

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DSP Mutual Fund has issued a statement on why it invested in Lenskart's anchor book. "In this specific case, we have trimmed a slower-growing, similarly-expensive position to make room for this investment." DSP Midcap Fund has invested Rs 90 cr - 2.75% of Lenskart's anchor book. Lenskart has raised Rs 3,268 cr from 147 anchor investors, covering 45% of the Rs 7,278 cr IPO.

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Why is it that out of the 4000 D2C brands doing $1M of monthly revenue on Shopify, not a single brand is from India? The answer is a mix of technical and cultural reasons. I will start with cultural. Because that is valid not just for D2C but for other industries like SAAS and tech as well. 1. Our processes rely on people instead of systems. And as warm and loving as that sounds, it simply doesn’t work at scale. It is also the reason why Indian orgs have so much internal corruption as they scale. 2. We are a risk averse nation. Government jobs. Education. Safety net. These are the values typically passed down and get hardcoded in our DNAs. So even when we start a business, concepts of credit and debt are not used as efficiently as they should be. Heck even our investor community is the most risk averse in the world. Everybody wants to copy and follow what’s working. Nobody wants to take the leap and innovate. 3. Entitlement comes very fast Anybody who has earned a couple of crores in their lives thinks they are God. Several socio economic reasons for this that I won’t get into here. 4. We care too much about not looking poor. We want to spend like the west because it “looks” cool. A person on a 50k/m salary has a 1L iphone. A person who earns 20L a year as a 40L car. A D2C business owner who earns 10L per month pays 4L in salaries. A founder who just raised a round of funding will overspend on IIM/IIT talent and swanky offices they don’t need. 5. We outsource/delegate too early. Because labour is cheap, we are quick to hire. We don’t do our dishes and laundry at home so then why would we do the dirty work of our own business? (Entitlement again) ______________ Moving on to the non cultural factors now. Specific to D2C only. 6. Founders have no grip on their P&L fundamentals. Nobody knows what their real breakeven roas is in the 0-1 stage and they keep pumping in more money until they run out. 7. Marketing, Finance, Inventory, Creatives & branding are all deeply correlated. But founders are not building businesses trying to prioritise all of these together. The founder who is great at branding ignores finance metrics completely. The founder great at performance ignores branding completely. And so on. 8. Founders don’t know enough about their own businesses. Remember point 5? This causes a gap. And this gap keeps growing with scale. 9. We are 5 years behind western markets in technology adoption. Purely because of points 2 (risk) and 5 (early delegation). Case in point -> First party data adoption. This is the one single technology switch that has enabled US brands to keep scaling without dropping MER and nobody in India is talking about it. But why is nobody talking about it? Because the people directly responsible for growth are MBA peeps, not founders themselves. These MBA peeps are even more risk averse. This would have never happened if the founder had upskilled and kept up with what’s new in the world.

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Returns made easy. Meet drop — the returns solver that OOH networks were missing. Lockers handle a disproportionate share of returns because nothing better existed. Now it does. Drop is purpose-built for one job: returns. For consumers: scan, label, drop — done: returns in seconds. For carriers: consolidate returns in one point, faster sweeps, and free locker capacity for last-mile. Smaller footprint allows for denser networks and faster expansion. The result: easy returns for users, higher-velocity networks for carriers. #drop #returns #bloqit

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This category grew 4X in a year on Q-Comm, crossing ₹200 CR+ in monthly sales! 🤯 Even in winter, when logic says demand should drop, it kept soaring. That category is → Ice Cream🍦 ✅ ₹200 CR+ in monthly sales (4X YoY) ✅ 2M+ orders daily (May 2024) ✅ 44% spike in winter sales on Instamart Now if you think about it, Q-Comm didn’t create this demand; it simply removed friction. By making ice cream instantly available, it turned impulse into instant gratification & sales exploded. Also, it worked because while consumers were craving convenience, India’s cold storage infrastructure was quietly upgrading. - 6,300+ cold storage facilities handling 30M+ metric tonnes of perishables - A ₹2.28 B cold chain industry, now powered by tech & IoT Perfect timing. The demand was there. The supply chain was ready. Q-Comm just connected the dots. Put this ’Logistics + convenience; together, and you get a business model where brands don’t need shelf space just fast fulfillment. And brands like Go Zero are proving it, with 80%+ of their sales happening through Zepto, Blinkit, and Instamart. I remember working with Baskin Robbins when online ice cream delivery felt impossible. Fast forward to today, Q-Comm is the biggest growth channel for new-age ice cream brands. If you’re looking to jump in, Zippee might just be the fastest way to scale 😉

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The smartest move by Amul no one’s talking about? Not their IPL sponsorships. Not their milk dominance. It’s their quiet, calculated D2C protein play. While most startups are burning cash chasing gym-goers in metros, Amul is doing something far smarter — building demand online, creating scarcity, and testing in silence. Ever tried buying Amul’s protein lassi, kulfi, or water online? It’s mostly out of stock. Not due to poor supply — but because they’re engineering FOMO. People are literally building scrapers to track when their favourite product is back in stock. But here’s the kicker: 90% of Indians who trust Amul don’t even know they have a protein range. To them, Amul = Milk, Butter, Paneer. Not Protein. And that’s exactly why they’ve gone D2C first — because their ideal Amul Protein customer isn’t browsing supermarket shelves. They’re online, comparing macros, and ordering on Blinkit at 10 PM. D2C gives Amul direct sales, live feedback, faster iterations — without relying on shelf space. And when they’re ready to scale? They’ve got 50 lakh+ retail outlets waiting. Even better? They’re not positioning this as elite health food. They’re infusing protein into kulfi, lassi, and everyday formats — ₹40 kulfis, ₹50 for 20g protein — making it accessible to Tier 2, Tier 3, and rural homes. No one else is doing this at this scale. Vo kehte hai na: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” So for Amul: “When milk gives you cheese, make protein.” 💥 This isn’t a zero-sum game. Amul entering the space doesn’t kill startups — it grows the market, especially when India’s per capita protein intake is still dangerously low. While others rely on influencer gimmicks, Amul is sponsoring 9 out of 10 IPL teams, building trust, and making real nutrition mainstream. And at FitFeast, we’re on the same mission — combining taste + nutrition in formats that are familiar and convenient. Because health shouldn't feel like a chore. Drop your thoughts in the comments. And hey, did you hit your protein goal today? #Amul #D2C #FMCGStrategy #MarketingMoves #StartupVsLegacy

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The restaurant industry is at a crossroads. With platforms like Swiggy and Zomato doubling down on private-label ventures, the question looms large: Who really owns your customer data? As aggregators evolve from neutral marketplaces to direct competitors, restaurants face an uphill battle—not just for visibility, but for survival. These platforms hold a treasure trove of insights into customer behavior, order patterns, and high-demand cuisines. The risk? This data could be weaponized to prioritize their own brands over yours. But here’s the good news: You don’t have to play by their rules. At Amkka, we believe your customers should stay yours. With our patented tech, you can connect with diners directly in under 60 seconds—simply by scanning the bill. No friction, no middleman. Here’s what this unlocks for you: - Retention that works: Build loyalty programs that bring customers back. - Smarter marketing: Target the right audience with precision. - Real-time feedback: Test new menu ideas with your most engaged diners. - Organic advocacy: Let happy customers become your brand’s loudest cheerleaders. And the best part? It’s a spam-free, bot-free community of verified buyers—no algorithms deciding who sees your message. Just authentic connections at zero cost. Restaurants are more than just listings on an app—they’re experiences, stories, and communities. Let’s take back control and build something that lasts. Curious how this works? Let’s chat.

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WILL RELIANCE GET BACK IN THE QUICK COMMERCE GAME WITH AN ACQUISITION LIKE ZEPTO ?? Retail giant Reliance despite its largest network of physical #retail stores seems to have missed the bus in terms of quick commerce while there’s been the standalone #startups that have literally become synonymous with quick ordering and in the large metros ordering through platforms like Swiggy Zomato bigbasket is definitely the most popular way of ordering one’s groceries rather quick It may be worth understanding that Reliance in fact was one of the first to buy out some of the fast growing startups like Milkbasket and the delivery platform Dunzo too and had ideally should have happened is that Jio Mart would have been been at the front end through this In a recent announcement, they’ve shared that there’s 800 Dark stores that have been opened up with a very healthy profit of over 12,000 crores, but then is it about just opening up these dark stores and getting ahead Or then just typical of this large behemoth that known to be about disruption and acquisition as a strategy that they’re going to be back in this aggressive game with various players acquiring the independent one like Zepto This could be the game changer, while the independent one has grown significantly the combined strength of the distribution engine that the startup has already put in along with the various formats of retail that Reliance is present in, this could be the best strategy for Jio Mart isn’t it ??

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