Mumbai, June 8, 2023: The second day of the India D2C Summit 2023 continued with industry leaders showcasing their dynamic and innovative spirit and sharing invaluable insights on building successful brands and achieving profitability.
During a session titled From Store to Closet: Enabling exceptional customer experience at every touch point, experts discussed the importance of safe and seamless payments in the sustainable growth of D2C brands. Abhishek Gupta, Senior VP of Growth-D2C Business at MamaEarth, shared the company’s learnings from COVID-19. He shared how clear fundamentals and personalized customer communications helped MamaEarth. The brand increased revenue by 30-40% through AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) funnels and the use of skin mapping AI technology. The brand prioritized consumer-led growth by implementing innovations based on feedback and needs.
Aparna Thyagarajan, Co-founder & Chief Product Officer of Shobitam, highlighted the strategies employed by her brand to target customers effectively. She stressed on the importance of making customer journeys seamless, enriching the experience through user experience (UX), and leveraging AI-enabled chat. Akash Valia, Managing Director, Docon (Pharmeasy), shared insights on how to look at repeat customers. For the company, profitability takes center stage. It aims to provide services easily without making customers wait for even 10 minutes. The company has also launched virtual clinics to enhance customer experience. Ravi Kabra, Co Founder, Skippi Icepops, who gained fame on reality TV show Shark Tank India, mentioned that the brand has a stronger presence offline than online. However, the company has realised the importance of an omnichannel shift to meet consumer expectations.
The session titled High Resolution Maps to Navigate The Purpose-to-Profitability Route discussed the importance of customer-centricity, trust-building, and aligning business strategies with customer needs. Dr. Drishti Anand, Co-founder of Letsdressup, a size exclusive apparel brand highlighted the significance of putting customers first in building a brand. She shared her experience of engaging with 3,000 women before developing her brand and encouraged entrepreneurs to test and embrace failure as part of the learning process. Durlabh Kumar Rawat, Founder & CEO of Barosi, a natural food brand, spoke about the connection between building a brand in Bharat (India) and selling it to the majority. He reiterated the importance of understanding cash flow and creating trust to ultimately build a successful brand.
Niranjan Kumar, Business Head – D2C E-commerce at Bombay Shaving Company, spoked about the key aspect of customer retention. He stressed that repeat rates should be a priority, ensuring that customers keep coming back to the brand’s website. Rahber Nazir, Founder of Kaamastra (Hotkei), an intimate products company, shed light on the untapped potential of manufacturing in India. He emphasized that there is a large scope for growth in this sector, and more awareness needs to be created among people. Rishubh Satiya, Co-founder of Plix – The Plant Fix, a plant-based nutrition products company, discussed the challenges of aligning different ecosystems with investors, highlighting the complexities and difficulties in the process. Vidhi Khandelwal, Founder & CEO of The Ink Bucket, an accessories company, shared the importance of planners and calendars throughout the brand-building journey. She expressed how the brand, being deeply personal to her, is considered a luxury.
During the insightful session titled Building a Great D2C eStore, the panellists explored the significance of brand emotion and its alignment with the emotions of customers during the purchasing process. Jugal Kansara, the Head of Data and Business Strategy at Souled Store, an apparel brand, discussed the brand’s journey from struggling to engaging in conversations with giants like Disney and Warner Bros. The brand later partnered with Disney in India. He attributed the company’s success to the unique touch it brings to graphics, which is highly valued by their partners at Disney.
