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This week’s roundup highlights the Indian D2C sector’s significant pre-festive growth, with order volumes up 16% year-on-year, driven by expanding demand across new categories.

A major headline is Katrina Kaif’s Kay Beauty making a global leap to the UK market. We also cover the massive ₹1.2$ lakh crore festive e-commerce forecast and the evolution of quick-commerce platforms into “virtual bazaars” for festive shopping.

D2C Weekly Roundup: Festive Growth, Global Moves & Big Bets

1. Festive Surge: 16% Growth for Indian D2C Brands

Pre-festive season trends show a 16% year-on-year increase in order volumes for D2C brands across India. Remarkably, demand is expanding beyond traditional categories like fashion to include segments such as astrology.

2. Kay Beauty Heads for the UK

Bollywood’s Katrina Kaif is taking her Kay Beauty brand global. After reaching a GMV of ₹240 crore (~$28 million) and 2.5 million customers in India, Kay Beauty will debut in the UK market this month, available at Space NK stores starting September 3.

3. Festive E-commerce Set to Hit ₹1.2 Lakh Crore

India’s festive e-commerce sales are projected to soar by 27% in 2025, tapping into over ₹1.2 lakh crore in spending. Quick commerce (q-comm) channels are expected to capture around 12% of this market.

4. Q-commerce Platforms Evolve into Virtual Bazaars

Platforms like Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart are transforming from grocery delivery services into festive shopping destinations, offering curated items, from sweets and rakhis to gifts, via app-based “festive bazaars.” 

5. upGrad Appoints Former JioStar Exec to Lead D2C Arm

Edtech major upGrad has named Ferzad Palia, a former JioStar executive, as the CEO for its newly launched D2C business, aiming to expand its direct reach to individual learners.

“With so much action happening in the D2C space, the real question is: how do you keep your customers coming back for more? Let’s dive into this week’s Feature Focus.”

Feature Focus: Smarter Rewards with Slabs in Retainley

At Retainley, we’re all about making customer engagement smarter and simpler. From loyalty programs to cashback campaigns, we help businesses reward better, and more meaningfully.

One of the most underrated, but powerful tools in your toolkit? Slabs.

What are Slabs?

Slabs let you set up spending-based reward tiers, automatically applying discounts and wallet rewards based on how much a customer spends.

For example:

Spend	Discount	Wallet Credit
0-499	5%	10% of spend
500-999	10%	10% of spend
1000-1499	15%	10% of spend
1500-above	20%	10% of spend

So, if a customer shops for ₹1200, they get a 15% discount and 10%  of wallet credit being used while placing the order. All of this is applied instantly, with zero manual work from your end.

Why This Matters

Most reward systems give the same offer to everyone. But with Slabs, you reward customers based on how much they spend, encouraging higher order values and repeat visits.

Here’s what you get:

• Tiered pricing and rewards without complexity
  
• Greater control over margins and incentives
  
• Higher customer motivation to spend more
  
• Fully automated logic, just set it once and go
  

It’s smart, scalable, and incredibly effective for everything from flash sales to ongoing loyalty programs.

“Beyond features and trends, there’s a bigger picture we can’t ignore, what’s truly holding D2C brands back.”


Founder’s note:

The real challenges D2C brands face today:

• Low retention: Loyalty doesn’t come from discounts – it comes from personalized experiences and trust.
• Lack of customer data: Without zero-party data, brands stay dependent on platforms and paid ads.
• Operational inefficiencies: Returns, RTOs, and fragmented systems quietly drain profits.
• Future-proofing: AI and automation are moving fast – brands without a tech edge risk being left behind.

Our view: The D2C brands that win are the ones building a tech moat,  collecting their own data, automating operations, and delivering experiences that keep customers coming back.

Final Thought

If you’re looking to personalize your offers and reward smarter without the headaches, Slabs in Retainley is the way to go.

Need help setting it up or curious how it could work for your use case? We’re here to help.

Let’s turn every transaction into a win, for your business and your customers.

“Let’s talk about growth. Schedule a call and we’ll walk you through the CRO and business analysis we’ve created for your brand.” 

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