The Consumer is Dead!

Yes, you heard me right.

We are no longer in the era where catering directly to the consumer is the norm.

The C in DTC has gone from consumer to community and that is set to make all the difference. In a recent report on Inc42 Media , India’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) market, is likely to reach a size of $100 Bn by 2025 and has exploded in the recent years.

A study conducted by Statista also reveals that the DTC space is set to grow 15 times between 2020 & 2025

What is creating the magic for these businesses today and how can see your brand follow suit or maybe even disrupt the space?

The answer lies in what I have believed in and preached for the last decade- COMMUNITY.

Communities today are the foundation of self-sustaining businesses.

Independent communities and subcultures created by DTC brands today add value and weightage to what they’re selling and roping in people to keep the conversation about their brand running perennially instead of limiting it to the act of a single purchase.

From chasing after the eternal pressure set by VC’s in the past, the pressure for DTC brands was rather relieved when they discovered the power in community building.

From having to adhere to marketing and growth strategies to appeal to their VCs, DTC brands are slowly steering away into a realm where they rely on growth by relying on their community presence.

Creating credibility for your brand has never felt more meaningful than today because your DTC brand’s participation in larger communities of similar brands creates a strength and power to your brand name.

Brand storytelling is being leveraged and how, for us to witness an emergence of story-driven, purpose -driven brands that are collaborative and supportive itself goes to prove that DTC focuses on the ‘us’ rather than ‘me’ or ‘you’ as a consumer.

Let us take the following brands as an example.

Blissclub founded by Minu Bitch Margeret in 2020 gave the concept of activewear a renewed and refreshing new meaning for Indian women.

Capsul led by Bhavisha Dave & Meenakshi Singh has disrupted the streetwear space in the country by making it an inclusive and diverse space for creatives, streetwear enthusiasts to interact and collaborate.

And our very own, Under 25 Universe led by Anto Philip & Shreyans Jain has single handedly transformed the landscape for Indian students & the subsequent communities they’ve managed to build.

These examples go on to state that founders today are paving their own path.

There is no hard and fast rule to establish and grow your business except for one, the power & trust you place in the community that could surround your brand and that in my opinion, makes all the difference in chartering the future for DTC brands in the country.