Indian retail’s next phase will hinge on convenience-led omnichannel execution

At Inc42’s D2C & Retail Summit, Liberty Shoes, PhonePe Payment Gateway and ZOFF Foods said brands must blend quick commerce, ecommerce, D2C and physical stores as shoppers prioritise convenience. Liberty Shoes also flagged value-led premiumisation and the continuing role of in-store product trials.

— Source published Wed, 19 Aug, 2026, 15:44 IST · First seen Wed, 19 Aug, 2026, 15:55 IST · Source Inc42 · Buzz

What happened

Liberty Shoes · Industry panelists said Indian consumption is becoming convenience-led, requiring brands to combine quick commerce, ecommerce, D2C and physical

Key facts

  • seventh edition of Inc42's D2C & Retail Summit

Why this matters

Prioritize partnerships or acquisitions that add fulfillment speed, payments capability, customer-data integration or store-enabled trial to strengthen the omnichannel stack.

What to watch

  • Growth in quick-commerce assortment beyond grocery, beauty, electronics accessories and daily-use categories.
  • Retailer adoption of ship-from-store, unified returns and real-time inventory systems.
  • Changes in quick-commerce commission rates, ad-spend requirements and discount intensity.
  • Rising store conversion rates for premium or fit-dependent categories such as footwear, apparel, beauty and home products.
  • Evidence that omnichannel customers show higher repeat rates and lower return costs than channel-exclusive customers.
  • Unify inventory visibility and returns across stores, D2C sites, marketplaces and quick-commerce partners.
  • Build channel-specific assortment architecture: urgent-use SKUs for quick commerce, discovery bundles for D2C, and trial-led premium ranges for stores.
  • Measure channel incrementality and contribution margin rather than gross online sales, especially where quick-commerce commissions and promotions are high.
  • Use stores as customer-data capture, assisted selling and post-purchase service hubs, including click-and-collect and instant exchanges.
  • Prioritize payment, loyalty and CRM integration to identify customers moving between physical and digital touchpoints.

Also reported by