The battle for the last mile: How brands are redefining customer experience in a D2C world

The rise of Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brands in India is transforming the standards around convenience, customer service, and delivery. With the ability to connect directly with consumers, D2C brands are building customer-centric models that offer high levels of convenience, personalized service, and rapid fulfilment. As these brands continue to disrupt the market, legacy companies have valuable lessons to learn from D2C innovators who are setting new benchmarks in customer experience (CX).

Convenience redefined

Everything is getting faster, and even the biggest deliveries are more accessible than ever. You can now order something as hefty as a PS5 and have it at your doorstep in just minutes! D2C brands are leveraging technology to personalize the shopping experience, offering custom recommendations right when you need them—often through apps or even platforms like WhatsApp. Customers are now getting tailored content that fits seamlessly into their lives, making the whole experience feel effortless and uniquely personal.

The brand with a face

Authenticity is everything. While we may not know who owns or leads JBL, MuscleBlaze, or Sony in India, most people recognize the founders behind Mamaearth, boAt, or The Whole Truth. These D2C brands are built on transparency, letting customers see who’s behind the product and what goes into making it. The founders have become the brand’s celebrities, connecting directly with their audience and sharing the journey. At Social Panga, we’ve worked with both legacy and new-age D2C brands, and trust me—when the founder is actively involved in communication, metrics skyrocket. Though this personal touch may evolve as brands grow, today it’s building strong customer loyalty, with founders serving as relatable spokespersons that customers can trust and follow.. 

Elevating customer expectations with personal touches

D2C brands today are nailing what customers actually want: a more personalised, familiar shopping experience. Blinkit, for instance, gave us a perfect example of this recently. When a customer tweeted about his mom’s “mini heart attack” over being charged for coriander (which usually bargain for free from local veggie vendors), Blinkit didn’t just brush it off. Instead, they made coriander free with vegetable orders, crediting the customer’s mom for the idea. It’s these small gestures that make customers feel like their voices genuinely matter.

By tuning into what people actually care about and adapting quickly, D2C brands are creating those small, thoughtful moments that build loyalty and show they’re truly listening. Blinkit’s coriander move might be tiny, but it’s a refreshing example of how brands today can feel a bit more human and a lot more relatable.

Agility and innovation: Staying competitive in the market

D2C companies are shaking things up by rolling out new products and marketing campaigns every month. It’s impressive to see how legacy brands are trying to poach talent from these D2C brands, all fuelled by a strong desire to grow and compete. While legacy brands may dominate in market share, D2C companies are steadily making their mark, one platform and one neighbourhood at a time.

Take the skincare brands we have worked with at Social Panga, for example. We were launching new product ranges every month! I still remember when Mamaearth started with just a handful of products, and now it’s a full-blown house of brands. Watching their journey over the first five years was incredible—they moved with such agility and speed to capture the market.

It’s also fascinating to see some D2C founders create products based on what’s trending. I spoke with one founder who launched amla candies after Rujuta Diwekar suggested everyone should have one a day. They sold out on Amazon almost immediately!

In today’s fast-changing D2C landscape in India, brands really live by Steve Jobs' idea to "move fast and break things." By quickly adapting to trends and personalising their offerings, they connect with customers on a deeper level, driving both innovation and loyalty in a competitive market.