15 Best D2C Brands Reshaping the Indian Market – Zop Skip to content
15 Best D2C Brands Reshaping the Indian Market

15 Best D2C Brands Reshaping the Indian Market

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands have revolutionised the Indian market. They provide a novel approach to the way products are sold and consumed. D2C brands directly engage with customers and try to create personalised experiences to establish a strong connection with them. This model has gained popularity in the country mainly owing to the rise of eCommerce sellers and changing consumer preferences. From fashion and beauty to health and wellness, D2C brands are reshaping industries by providing innovative products and seamless shopping experiences. Statistics reveal that the Indian D2C market is anticipated to triple to $61.3 billion by 2027. This shows that it is likely to grow at a CAGR of around 38% over four years starting in 2023.

In this article, we have shared 15 D2C brands that have gained popularity among Indian consumers and are growing substantially monthly. These brands contribute to the country’s economic growth and reshape the market.

Defining D2C Brands

D2C brands are businesses that sell their products directly to customers. They do not rely on intermediaries such as retailers, wholesalers, and distributors to establish and grow their business. This helps brands maintain complete control over various aspects of the business as they are involved in everything, including manufacturing, marketing, sales, and customer services. Moreover, as they do not have to give a cut to the middlemen, these brands can sell their products at a more competitive price even as they maintain a good profit margin. eCommerce and social media platforms are the backbone of this business model as they allow brands to reach their customers directly.

D2C Business Boom – Revolutionising the Indian Retail Market

The rise of Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brands is transforming how Indian consumers purchase products. It has also revolutionised the way brands connect with their audience. As stated above, these brands mostly sell their products through online channels and do not require the assistance of wholesalers, retailers, and other middlemen. This gives them a better hold over their business and enables them to offer goods at a competitive price.

India’s booming eCommerce industry, coupled with the growing use of internet usage, has set the stage for the growth of the D2C business model. There has been an increasing shift towards online shopping among Indians as it offers convenience, variety and affordable pricing. This shift has led to the popularity of D2C brands. More than 600 new brands have reportedly entered the Indian D2C market since 2016, with 2023 being an instrumental year. There was a 25% rise in the number of new D2C brands in 2023.

These brands mostly focus on niche markets and develop innovative products and services to attract different customer segments. Social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook help them build a stronger digital presence and connect better with their consumers. They benefit from maintaining a direct relationship with their customers.

In addition to churning substantial revenue, the top D2C brands in India are also contributing towards its economic growth by creating numerous job opportunities. A joint report from 1Lattice and Sorin Investments suggests that the D2C market is expected to create around 10 million job opportunities in the Indian retail space between 2023 and 2027

15 Leading D2C Brands in the Indian Market

Here is a look at some of the top D2C brands in India: 

BoAT Lifestyle

We have all heard about this brand and are aware of the quality of its products. Co-founded by Aman Gupta and Sameer Ashok Mehta in 2014, BoAT has become one of India’s most loved D2C brands. It has captured the wearable audio electronics market in India. It offers a wide variety of wireless earbuds, smartwatches, neckbands, power banks, and headphones.  It began selling its products in Reliance Digital and Croma stores in 2018-19, which strengthened its position further.

Cocoroots Organic

The D2C brand is known to produce hair-care products that are organic and cruelty-free. Some of its popular products include organic coconut oil, bringa black seed oil, rosemary hair growth oil, and organic aloe shampoo. Its organic anti-dandruff hair mask and butterfly pea hair cleanser have been received well by consumers. Their organic oils are natural and are effective. Cocoroots Organic has established a stronghold in the market by offering sustainable products that nourish and protect hair.

Wakefit

The brand, established in 2016, is known for its innovative sleep mattresses designed to boost orthopaedic comfort. Its products include dual comfort, 7-zone Latex, orthopaedic memory foam mattress, pillows, sofas and bed frames. It is known to have captured a 30-40% market share in the sleep products industry. It has received several certificates, such as Certi-PUR and Greenguard.

Kapiva

Launched by Ameva Sharma and Shrey Badhani, Kapiva has become a popular healthcare and wellness brand. This health and wellness brand offers high-quality nutritional products, Ayurvedic products and fresh ingredients. Its products are known to heal lifestyle diseases, skin-related problems, and add nutrition to daily diets.

Established in 2016, Kapiva has witnessed a substantial growth. It managed to generate revenue of INR 114 crore in 2023.

Arata

The brand has gained popularity by offering high-quality vegan hair-care products. Launched in 2018, it has become one of India’s leading natural hair-care D2C brands. Its products are plant-based and are free from harmful toxins like sulphate and parabens. Its range of products includes super shampoo, intensive hair growth serum, curly hair gel, protein-free curl moisturising leave-in conditioner, and hair cream.

Pilgrim

A popular hair-care, skincare and makeup products brand, Pilgrim has earned trust among Indian consumers by offering 100% vegan products. It was launched by Anurag Kedia and Gagandeep Makker in 2019. They drove it through the pandemic with their hard work and knowledge. In 2023, the company bagged an investment of $20 million, which helped it grow.

Approved by the FDA and PETA, Pilgrim’s products boast high quality despite being light on the pocket. They have adopted sustainable practices and follow a customer-centric approach. They are now moving towards offline mode by installing kiosks in Hyderabad and Mumbai. They have also launched a retail store at the Chennai Airport.

Caratlane

Established in 2008, Caratlane is growing at a steady pace. It is known for its exquisitely designed jewellery that matches the taste of modern-day women. It offers a wide range of light-weight jewellery pieces appropriate for everyday use. Caratlane became a subsidiary of the renowned brand Tanishq in 2017 and has followed an omnichannel approach ever since. It is one of the most successful D2C jewellery brands in India. There are 165 Caratlane retail stores in more than 66 Indian cities.

Perfume Lounge

Perfume Lounge sells exotic perfumes for men and women at competitive rates. The Delhi-based brand also offers unisex perfumes. You will find a wide range of fragrant perfumes under different categories.  It has various product lines, including Designer Club Taboo and Gin & Tonic. The company is well-funded and has been generating impressive revenue since its launch.

Mamaearth

Launched in 2016, Mamaearth has become India’s top personal care brand. It provides a broad spectrum of personal care products for men, women, and infants. It offers eco-friendly products that are light on the skin. They are loved by modern-day customers who are health conscious. The popularity of its products helped it become a unicorn company within five years of launch.

Egoss

Established in 2006, Egoss is a popular footwear brand. It offers high-quality footwear that boasts comfort and style. With a wide variety of designs and unparalleled comfort, its products have become a hot favourite among people of different age groups. You will find an exclusive collection for both men and women. In addition to selling its products online, EGOSS sells its shoes in several top retail outlets including Mochi, Regal, and Metro Shoes among others.

Bewakoof

This D2C apparel brand is known to offer clothes with quirky designs. It follows online-only D2C model but has still managed to build a huge fortune. It mainly targets the youth and has been successful in gaining popularity among them. It collaborates with franchises such as Disney and Marvel to create pop culture designs that are witty and vibrant. It is backed by big investors such as the esteemed Aditya Birla Group.

Sugar Cosmetics 

Sugar Cosmetics offers products that are suitable for the Indian skin tone and texture. The company offers more than 100 varieties of lipsticks, blush, primers and foundations. It stood at a valuation of $500 million in May 2022 and managed to raise $87.5 million in September 2022. It mainly offers beauty products for women with deeper skin tones. This is one of the reasons for its popularity, as this market was underserved in India. It has more than 195 retail stores across India.

Licious 

The D2C brand is popular among those who relish meat and seafood. The company has built a huge base of loyal customers and thus benefits a great deal from repeated purchases. It offers fresh products that are high on quality. Licious follows farm to fork model to retain the freshness of products as they reach the consumers. It collaborates directly with farms and fisheries to gain access to fresh, nutrition-rich food.

The Man Company

The company offers a wide range of hair-care, skincare and grooming products specially crafted for men. Its products are infused with natural ingredients that render a soothing effect. The company leverages different online platforms to market and sell its products. It has adopted sustainable practices such as the use of eco-friendly packaging to lower the impact on environment.

Wow Skin Science

This plant-based beauty brand is known to offer skincare products that are devoid of harsh chemicals. Most of the products offered by the brand have a 5-star rating. The brand is well-funded and is growing at an impressive rate. Singapore’s GIC and firms such as Chrys Capital are among its investors. Unlike many other D2C brands, 90% of its sales are derived from retail stores in India and the United States and merely 10% comes through online channels.

Find Premier D2C Brands on ZOP

ZOP believes in the D2C model and supports brands that aim to sell their products directly to the customers. The online platform features products by some of the best D2C brands in India. You can purchase products from reputed jewellery, cosmetics, skincare, apparel, footwear, and hair-care brands on ZOP. The easy-to-navigate platform is designed to help brands engage with shoppers and boost sales.

It provides exclusive lists of products from different D2C brands across various industries to enable you to pick the most suitable ones matching your requirements. It also allows brands to share their stories and connect better with their customers.

ZOP leverages advanced technology to offer a seamless shopping experience. Its single-click checkout process enables a quick and smooth buying process.

Conclusion

D2C brands are on a rise in India. Many of them are coming up with innovative products to stand out in the market. Several of them are also adopting sustainable production and packaging practices to contribute towards a cleaner environment and win over environmentally-conscious consumers. This business model proves to be beneficial for the sellers as it eliminates the need to pay or deal with intermediaries. It helps in keeping their costs in check and allows them to offer products at competitive rates. It also matches the evolving demands of the shoppers, thereby proving to be even more beneficial. These brands are certainly reshaping the Indian market and contributing towards a sustainable economic growth.

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