The D2C & Retail Summit 2026 By Inc42

ABOUT SUMMIT

THE D2C & RETAIL SUMMIT 2025

On 25th July at The Oberoi, Gurugram, we’re bringing together 300 handpicked D2C & Retail founders, CXOs, investors, and enablers to decode the rise of New Commerce — where D2C, retail, technology, and capital operate as one integrated system of growth.

Now in its 6th edition, what began as The D2C Summit evolves into The D2C & Retail Summit 2025 — a reflection of the structural shift we’ve been chronicling for years. The once-parallel tracks of retail and D2C are no longer separate — they’re converging into a new operating model.

This invite-only summit is our most focused yet. From omnichannel infrastructure and AI-led execution to capital-efficient scale and Bharat-ready strategy — we’ve designed every session for leaders building what comes next.

Strictly invite-only. Intentionally limited. Designed for those shaping what’s next.

Agenda

Tracks 2026

Announcing Soon

The New Commerce Playbook

Omnichannel Play

Bharat & Beyond

Capital Efficiency, Profits & M&A Readiness

Tech x Brand

Premium India

Modern Retail Infra

Leadership, Talent & Brand Culture

AI for Consumer Brands

01AI from buzzword to operating layer: forecasting, demand planning, inventory
02How AI is rewiring the ecommerce conversion funnel and customer experience
03Building the AI-native consumer brand across product, marketing, and ops
04Conversational and agent-led commerce: when search becomes a conversation
05How AI is breaking ROAS — and the new ways to measure marketing
06Where AI is theatre, and where it's compounding margin

Quick Commerce & the 10-Min Economy

01The quick-commerce profitability playbook: dark-store economics and fulfilment efficiency
02The new shelf-space war: winning on Blinkit, Instamart, and Zepto
03Built for 10 minutes: designing products, packs, and pricing for instant commerce
04Balancing platform dependence: visibility, margin, and growth on platform-led channels
05The quick-commerce ops challenge: forecasting, replenishment, last-mile economics
06The future of instant commerce

Distribution, Omnichannel & Retail Media

01Omnichannel growth: when quick commerce, modern trade, and brand stores share one consumer
02Marketplaces vs owned channels: the new rules of discovery and conversion
03Retail expansion and modern trade: cracking offline in an online-first world
04Retail media as the new profit engine
05Building resilient distribution networks that don't break at scale

The New Consumer: Premium + Bharat

01Premium is the new mass: riding India's ₹1,000 basket boom
02Bharat is not a discount market anymore
03The new consumer is Gen Z, Bharat, and mobile-first
04SKUs, pricing, and storytelling for ₹1,000+ price points and ₹49 sachets in one portfolio
05Loyalty, retention, and repeat purchase: the economics of the second order
06Creators, communities, and influence-driven commerce
07Vernacular, voice, and assisted commerce in Bharat (Meesho Vaani, the next 500M users)

Profitability, Capital & Exits

01D2C 3.0: building brands where unit economics come first
02Profitability at scale: what ₹100 Cr to ₹1,000 Cr actually looks like
03Capital allocation discipline: when to spend, when to starve, when to compound
04The M&A and IPO playbook: what HUL, Tata, Marico, Reliance, and ITC are actually buying
05Inside the deals: Mamaearth's listing, HUL × Minimalist, Wakefit, the Drools unicorn moment
06The ₹10,000 Cr brand thesis: what it actually takes
07Public-market readiness — the boring boxes most founders haven't ticked yet

Workshops

Private
Workshops

2 Workshops On The Hottest Topics For D2C & Retail Founders

For the first time ever, we’re opening up private, closed-door sessions — designed for founders who want direct interaction with India’s leading D2C & retail operators.

Real-world strategies on cracking India’s most aggressive growth channel

Dr Shashank Sinha

CEO, Drools

Dr Shashank Sinha

CEO, Drools

Dr Shashank Sinha

CEO, Drools

Dr Shashank Sinha

CEO, Drools

Dr Shashank Sinha

CEO, Drools

Real-world strategies on cracking India’s most aggressive growth channel

Dr Shashank Sinha

CEO, Drools

Dr Shashank Sinha

CEO, Drools

Dr Shashank Sinha

CEO, Drools

Dr Shashank Sinha

CEO, Drools

Dr Shashank Sinha

CEO, Drools

NOTE: Limited seats. One workshop per attendee, choose at checkout!

tickets

Lock the Lowest Price of 2026

Who is it for?

Founders Of D2C & Retail Brands
CXOs & VPs From D2C & Retail Brands
VCs Or Institutional Investors Investing In D2C/Retail Brands
Angel Investors With At Least 10 Investments In D2C/Retail Brands
Founders or CXOs at D2C & Retail Enabler or Service Provider Companies

Applications Closing In

Priority Pass

8th May

Early Bird Pass

6th June

Regular

6th July

Late

21st July

Super Late

1st August

Frequently Asked
Questions

General

The D2C & Retail Summit 2025, 6th edition by Inc42 is upcoming and for 2nd physical, in-person edition. Through curated keynotes and panels, we'll be decoding the wave of New Commerce in India

The D2C & Retail Summit 2025 will be hosted in The Oberoi, Gurugram on 25th July 2025. We will be sharing venue and confirmed dates shortly.

You can apply to join The D2C & Retail Summit 2025 by purchasing either the Select Pass if you are a D2C/Retail leaders or if you are a D2C/Retail startup investor. If you are an Enabler, you can pre-register yourself, and you will be notified as we release Enabler Passes.

The D2C & Retail Summit 2025 will convene 300+ leading D2C/Modern Retail leaders, enablers, and investors.

We’ll constantly update the website to showcase more details so this is the best place to keep yourself up to date. We will also be sending you regular updates over email if you’ve signed up for our list.

Reach out to us here for anything related to The D2C Summit 2025.

Passes

You’ll get access to the entire conference including Networking Lunch & Gala Dinner where you can connect with any of the attendees.

If your application is rejected, we will issue a complete refund within 7-10 days.

If your application is not approved in the original pass category, we will give you a chance to change your pass type. Accordingly, the differential amount will be charged or refunded.

If you are an Inc42 Plus member, please reach out to us at 9650694242.

The D2C & Retail Summit 2025 is an invite-only conference and +1s are strictly not allowed.

Since this is a highly-curated conclave, apart from satisfying the criteria mentioned against each pass, Inc42’s editorial team will curate & approve every application.

Unfortunately, the passes are non-transferable.

In case you’re unable to attend, no refunds or pass transfer requests will be entertained.

Associate With The D2C Summit 2024

You can fill up this form to become a sponsor for the event.

Please send in the Speaker profile you want to nominate to our curation team at here.

The D2C & Retail Summit 2025

Shaping The Future Of New Commerce In India

THE D2C & RETAIL SUMMIT 2025

Our Legacy

Our 2026 Speaker Lineup

Shri Piyush Goyal

Aman Gupta

Viraj Bahl

Siddharth Dungarwal

Sidhant Keshwani

Manu Chandra

Nikhil Doda

Shashi Kumar

Shivam Shahi

Abhishek Ganguli

Avnish Kumar

Abhishek Bansal

Archana Jahagirdar

Rajesh Chandan

Shivani Malik

Umair Mohammad

Kannan Sitaram

Devangi Nishar Parekh

Sneh Sharma

Suyash Saraf

Paras Desai

Akash Agrawalla

Arjun Vaidya

Praharsh Chandra

Pradeep Sekhar Chandrasekaran

Harsh Somaiya

<b>350+ Brands</b> attended The D2C & Retail Summit 2025

Who's Attending

INC42 IN THE D2C SPACE

Tracks 2026

AI for Consumer Brands

Talking Points

Quick Commerce & the 10-Min Economy

Talking Points

Distribution, Omnichannel & Retail Media

Talking Points

The New Consumer: Premium + Bharat

Talking Points

Profitability, Capital & Exits

Talking Points

Private Workshops

Quick Commerce Playbook

Cross-Border Expansion Playbook

Lock the Lowest Price of 2026

Applications Closing In

Priority Pass

Early Bird Pass

Regular

Late

Super Late

Regular Pass 19

Get in Touch

Sponsors

Frequently AskedQuestions

General

What is The D2C & Retail Summit 2025?

When & where will The D2C & Retail Summit 2025 take place?

How can I join The D2C & Retail Summit 2025?

Who will attend The D2C & Retail Summit 2025?

When will you share more details about the agenda, sessions, etc?

I have questions, who do I reach out to?

Passes

How can I network with other attendees?

What if my application is rejected?

What if my application is not approved for the original pass category?

I’m an Inc42 Plus Member, do I get any special discount?

Can I bring a +1 to the event?

What is the selection criteria?

Can I transfer my pass to another person?

What if I have purchased the pass but I’m unable to attend?

Associate With The D2C Summit 2024

How can we become a sponsor for The D2C & Retail Summit 2025?

How can I join The D2C & Retail Summit 2025 as a Speaker?

Shaping the Future of New Commerce in India

Private
Workshops

Frequently Asked
Questions