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D2C Pulse is a newsletter written by the team at GlobalBees, curating happenings in the direct-to-consumer ecosystem of India.

It was a week of one of the biggest marriages. Nope, we’re not talking about anything around Lake Como or Jodhpur. It’s more about the USD 20B deal between Figma and Adobe. It was also a week where one of the biggest breakups went even further.

What’s sizzling hot? 🔥

With the Sale Season officially kicking off on 23rd September across marketplaces, activity levels at D2C companies are at a high. Here’s a quick rundown of what happened in the past week.

🗞️Marketplace Updates

• Amazon launched an all-women delivery station with a delivery service partner in Andhra Pradesh. The Delivery Service Partner (DSP) program is a last-mile delivery model where Amazon India partners with small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) in India's hinterlands to deliver packages to Amazon customers.

• Get your iPhone 14 in minutes. Blinkit has partnered with Apple reseller Unicorn to deliver the latest iPhone to users in minutes. The superfast service is available in Delhi and Mumbai for now. Go get em’, or better, let em’ come to you.

• American department store chain Macy’s, the operator of hundreds of fashion stores in the US, is set to enter India through e-commerce marketplace Myntra in the run-up to the festive season.

• Meesho taps Bharat in its battle with Amazon and Flipkart this festive season. The company is expecting 80% of its orders to come from rural India, which includes small towns and cities

• Tata Cliq plans to open physical stores to sell beauty products across the country. The company is in talks to lease space to sell beauty and cosmetics products at stores in malls and high streets in major cities

🍕D2C Bites

• Sustainable home and personal care brand Beco raised $3 million in a Series A round. The startup aims to expand into 10,000 offline retail stores across India and will also widen its product range to include a new set of cleaner products and an all-new personal hygiene care category, including a multipurpose spray, bathroom cleaner, and laundry detergent sheets. 

• Pernia’s Pop-Up parent Purple Style Labs raised Rs 10 Cr from Klub. The company currently has 10 stores and an online presence. It aims to expand into international markets in the coming months

• Get your beans the same day. That’s what Rage Coffee is gunning for. Founder Bharat Sethi aims to launch a 6 hr or same-day delivery option within 2-3 months.

📢Leader Speak

Get the latest on what D2C Founders and Leaders had to say this week!

• “There Is Internet Fatigue, But D2C Growth Has Not Slowed Down” Manish Chowdhary -WOW Skin Cofounder

• D2C Brands Should Put 5X Effort To Plan Inventory For Global Markets” Bala Sarda- Vahdam India Founder

• “During the last year of launching live commerce, our numbers have grown by almost 10 times in terms of conversions and five times in terms of visits” - Nandita Sinha, CEO Myntra

• Whatsapp is moving beyond JioMart. “Users will be able to visit a business icon on Whatsapp through which companies like Boat, Netmeds, etc will be reachable” Arzan Singpurwalla, channel partner lead, WhatsApp for Business.

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Brands that caught our eye 👀

👩Its a Nua World

Women's wellness brand Nua is investing in technology to make wellness uncomplicated as well as more accessible. The company is focused not just on giving a product solution but also equipping every single woman with the right knowledge regarding her body and wellbeing. The product range covers its bestsellers sanitary pads, intimate and period care and skin care. The company’s employee base is made up of 70% women working tirelessly to bring customers the best possible care.

🌶️Spicy!

Spices begin to lose their pungency and flavour at around 60° C.But most spice companies use old grinding machines like hammer mills that reach high temperatures of up to 120° C. Zoff is the first in India to use Air Classifying Mills (ACMs) to grind all our spices. ACMs work at only 30° – 40° C, so our spices can retain their full flavour and smell till you start to cook. Check out their range of every day spices- attractively packed while retaining the original flavours.

Reads and Recommendations 📚

• How to think about ecommerce penetration? Here’s a thought process by Ben Evans

• The uncertain future of royal merchandise.The Queen has fueled the mini-economy for decades. Can it survive Charles?

• First products from well-known brands. Keep at it you’ll find the right that makes it big.

  Varinder Bansal 🇮🇳 @varinder_bansal

  DID YOU KNOW Some of their first products: Nokia: toilet paper Sony: electric rice cookers Samsung: fruit and fish Lego: wooden toy ducks Colgate: candles Toyota: looms IKEA: pens Avon: books DuPont: gunpowder

  March 29th 2022

  133 Retweets840 Likes

That’s all for this week! Bye!

Stay tuned for more.

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