As India heads into 2026, large enterprise brands are fundamentally rethinking their direct-to-consumer (D2C) approaches. What began as a pandemic-driven experiment has evolved into a sophisticated, customer-centric operation – one that balances digital innovation with offline strengths.
For most large Indian brands, D2C was never about replacing distributors or retail partners. It was about staying relevant as consumer behaviour shifted online.
When COVID disrupted physical retail, D2C became urgent. Brands like Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Godrej Security Solutions, Haier India Asian Paints, Haier, L’Oréal India, and Marico accelerated their direct initiatives, launching brand stores, strengthening portals, and experimenting with WhatsApp commerce, assisted buying, or marketplace hybrids.
Early results were promising: trusted brands gained traction, online adoption surged across metros and Tier 2 cities, performance marketing delivered solid returns, and D2C offered control over demand, data, and branding.
But by 2024-2025, realities set in. Customer acquisition costs (CAC) soared, funnels grew inefficient, returns and service expenses rose. D2C shifted from an “easy win” to a core capability requiring strategic overhaul.
Heading into 2026, Indian enterprises are in a D2C rejig phase, adapting to a matured market.
The Post-COVID Reality Check
From 2020-2022, exceptional conditions fuelled D2C growth: constrained offline retail, high demand, limited competition.
Today, every major brand is online, categories are crowded, paid media costs pressure margins, influencer returns have thinned, and privacy changes complicate attribution. Enterprises must grow D2C without channel conflict.
This is evident in appliances and electronics, where Samsung, LG, Haier, and Whirlpool maintain strong D2C presences but learn that online sales involve more than checkout. Installation, service, exchanges, delivery, and dealer coordination are critical.
For enterprises, D2C is now an operational commitment, not a marketing trial.
Discovery Is Changing and India Is No Exception
Discovery was once search-led: comparisons, website visits, decisions on price and features.
Now, it’s fragmented: short-form videos influence consideration, WhatsApp forwards shape opinions, creator reviews build trust, and AI summaries guide choices before site visits.
For enterprises, this demands investment in education. In beauty and personal care, HUL, L’Oréal India, and Marico compete on explaining skin types, hair concerns, ingredients, and routines.
By 2026, brands investing in clear, consistent narratives will win early in the funnel, outperforming those relying on recall alone.
The D2C Website Trap
Many enterprises assumed a polished website sufficed.
In reality, most remain transactional: ad-driven visits, one-time buys, repeated reacquisition costs are inefficient at scale.
Asian Paints contrasts this: their platforms blend inspiration, guidance, services, and assisted fulfilment for deeper engagement.
The rejig shifts from website-first to system-first thinking.
The Rise of the Customer-First Economy
Enterprises now operate in a customer-first world.
Dashboards move beyond traffic, GMV, orders to tougher metrics: returns, repeat rates, service costs, trust vs. friction.
In FMCG, Tata Consumer and ITC use D2C for learning consumption patterns, regional preferences, direct behaviour insights.
D2C becomes the closest consumer listening post.
CAC Pressure Changes the Conversation
Rising CAC across Google, Meta, and marketplaces makes discount-heavy strategies unsustainable, eroding margins and equity.
CAC reflects the entire D2C engine’s design.
Lower CAC stems from trust-driven conversions, education-reduced returns, service-fuelled repeats, and bundling/loyalty for higher lifetime value.
In appliances, bundling installation, extended warranty, and service improves economics over product-only sales.
AI, Without the Buzzwords
Indian enterprises embrace practical AI for efficiency:
- Faster product matching
- Scaled personalization
- Quicker support
- Accurate forecasting
AI guides customers to right-fit products (e.g., AC capacity or fridge size), cutting returns and dissatisfaction.
Scaling D2C the Indian Enterprise Way
Startups scale aggressively; enterprises seek balance.
D2C coexists with distributors, dealers, service centres, and modern trade. Phygital commerce leverages this: Reliance Retail, Tata Group, and appliance leaders blend online discovery with offline fulfilment and trust.
One of the classic case of Phygital is Godrej security Solutions which deliveries 100% of their online customer orders through their extensive distribution system – enabling them to deliver across India with average deliver time below 3 days
Customers discover digitally but value physical reassurance—enterprises excel here.
What the D2C Rejig Really Means
The boom was urgency-driven; the rejig is intent-driven.
Brands now ask: Are we building relationships or just campaigns? Does D2C strengthen trust? Can it scale without harming margins or partners?
In a customer-first economy, D2C integrates with the ecosystem.
Five Key Trends Shaping Enterprise D2C Beyond 2026
- Integrated D2C Platforms – Unified tools for commerce, data, marketing, fulfilment, and service.
- Intelligence-Led Commerce – Data-driven decisions on pricing, inventory, and campaigns.
- AI-Driven Operations – Quiet enhancements in discovery, personalization, support, and forecasting.
- Phygital Commerce – Digital discovery merged with physical fulfilment, service, and trust:an enterprise edge.
- Customer-First Economics – Prioritizing long-term value, retention, and margins over short-term acquisition.
As 2026 unfolds, Indian enterprise D2C will be defined by sustainability, integration, and genuine customer centricity -turning direct channels into enduring advantages.
