The D2C & Retail Summit 2026 By Inc42

Agenda 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

Fireside

10:00-10:30

30 Minutes

Manyavar’s Next Shaadi: Stores, Screens & The Phygital Retail Playbook

Vedant Modi

CRO, Vedant Fashions Limited - Manyavar-Mohey

Praharsh Chandra

Cofounder & CBO, Shadowfax

01Moving Manyavar from legacy wedding wear recall to a phygital retail playbook across branding, ecommerce, CRM, consumer lifecycle and in-store experience
02Bridging online discovery with offline conversion through appointment-led store visits, assisted selling, pre-qualified shoppers and family-led purchase journeys
03Building the technology backbone behind 690 stores through ERP, custom POS, AI-led design, vendor systems, supplier management and tighter inventory discipline
04Rewiring wedding wear marketing from cricket and celebrity-led recall to digital campaigns, social discovery, content-led storytelling and properties like the Manyavar Shaadi Show
05Unlocking ecommerce for a touch-and-feel category without cannibalising stores, while using consumer data, personalisation and phygital journeys to improve conversion and repeat occasion buying

Panel

10:30-11:00

30 Minutes

The Distribution Reset: Winning Shelf, Search & Speed

Devangi Nishar

Managing Director, Aza Fashions

Nikhil Doda

COO & Cofounder, Lahori Zeera

Akis Evangelidis

Cofounder & India President, Nothing

Suyash Saraf

Cofounder & CEO, Dot & Key Skincare

Pankaj Vermani

Founder & CEO, Clovia

01Moving beyond availability: building discoverability, trust and conversion across every consumer touchpoint
02Choosing the right channel mix across D2C, marketplaces, quick commerce, modern trade, general trade and offline retail
03Growth vs control: navigating marketplace scale, quick-commerce speed, offline trust and owned-channel data
04SKU, pricing and margin discipline across channels where the same product playbook no longer works
05Building long-term distribution moats through retail relationships, inventory control, AI-led demand planning, consumer data and brand pull

Panel

11:00-11:30

30 Minutes

The Trends, & Signals Shaping The Next Decade Of Consumer Commerce

Manu Chandra

Founder & Managing Partner, Sauce.vc

Archana Jahagirdar

Founder & Managing Partner, Rukam Capital

Arjun Vaidya

Cofounder & Managing Partner, V3 Ventures

Kannan Sitaram

Cofounder & Partner, Fireside Ventures

Aditya Singh

Cofounder, All In Capital

01Mapping the consumer, retail and commerce shifts investors are tracking across portfolios, public markets and the broader consumer economy
02Categories gaining real momentum vs categories getting overcrowded, overfunded or overestimated — and where investors still see room for breakout consumer brands
03Decoding the next wave of consumption across Bharat, premiumisation, quick commerce, creator-led discovery, offline expansion and new-age distribution models
04What investors look for today: retention, gross margins, distribution quality, AI-led operating leverage, capital efficiency, founder-market fit and the ability to build towards durable exits
05Reading the M&A and IPO outlook for consumer brands — what makes a brand attractive for strategic acquisition, public markets or long-term compounding

Fireside

11:30-12:00

30 Minutes

Sauce, Scale & Shelf: Inside Veeba’s ₹1,000 Cr FMCG Engine

Viraj Bahl

Founder & MD, Veeba

Shantanu Kwatra

Head of Product & Experience Design, Inc42

01Moving from QSR kitchens to a ₹1,000 Cr+ consumer brand through B2B credibility, manufacturing control, product innovation and long-term retail trust
02Cracking general trade depth through cluster-led expansion, distributor economics, retailer reorder behaviour, outlet productivity and field-sales discipline
03Using quick commerce and ecommerce for discovery, new launches and premium urban demand without confusing platform velocity with a durable FMCG moat
04Building channel discipline across GT, modern trade, quick commerce and B2B while managing SKU architecture, pricing, margins, fill rates and repeat purchase across different retail realities
05Turning Veeba’s distribution, R&D and manufacturing engine into a broader FMCG house across Veeba, Tasty Pixel, WokTok and Zyro without losing category focus, profitability or brand sharpness

Panel

12:00-12:25

25 Minutes

What Do India’s Shopping Patterns Reveal About The Next Growth Wave?

Kamal Lochan Das

Business Head, PhonePe Payment Gateway

Kuldeep Parewa

Founder & CEO, Anveshan

Akash Agrawalla

Cofounder, ZOFF Foods

Ayush Bansal

Director, Liberty Shoes

Karan Saraf

MD-Deals, PwC India

01Mapping India’s changing shopping behaviour across categories, cities, consumer cohorts and purchase occasions
02What transaction data reveals about ticket sizes, payment preferences, checkout friction, purchase frequency, seasonality, demand spikes and how smoother payment experiences shape consumer behaviour
03Reading consumer demand beyond broad labels such as Bharat, premium India and urban India
04Using data and AI to sharpen market expansion, assortment, pricing, campaign timing and consumer segmentation
05Turning consumer insights into sharper decisions across product, distribution, marketing and customer experience

Fireside

12:25-12:50

25 Minutes

How Agentic Commerce Will Change The Way India Shops

Piyush Shah

Cofounder, InMobi & Glance, Glance

Harsh Somaiya

Cofounder, The Bear House

Vaibhav Vardhan

Cofounder & CEO, Inc42

01Moving from search-led and scroll-led shopping to intent-led commerce where AI understands consumer needs, context and purchase intent
02Decoding how agentic commerce can reshape the D2C funnel across discovery, recommendation, comparison, checkout and repeat purchase
03Understanding what brands need to become agent-ready through richer product data, trust signals, reviews, content, inventory visibility and personalisation logic
04The real discovery and conversion challenges in a crowded category where shoppers have intent but too many choices
05Building the next commerce layer across intelligent surfaces without making the brand invisible behind the algorithm

Panel

12:50-13:20

30 Minutes

Cracking Export Economics Beyond The Topline

Sneh Sharma

Cofounder, Dogsee Chew

Paras Desai

Director, Wagh Bakri

Bharat Mandot

Chairman, Stelcore & Cofounder, Globbel

Shivani Malik

Director, Da Milano

Pankaj Vermani

Founder & CEO, Clovia

01Choosing the right export markets through diaspora demand, category fit, tariff advantage, pricing power and competitive white spaces
02Cracking cross-border economics beyond topline exports — landed cost, duties, shipping, warehousing, marketplace fees, returns, FX impact and contribution margins
03Building the right GTM mix across global marketplaces, owned websites, distributors, retail partners and export enablers
04Localising product, packaging, claims, compliance, pricing and storytelling without losing the brand’s Indian identity
05Navigating the new export reality shaped by changing trade agreements, tariff uncertainty, certification requirements and rising fulfilment complexity

Panel

15:10-15:40

25 Minutes

The Consumer Reset: Winning Gen Z, Bharat & Premium India

Pradeep Sekhar

CEO, India, Base.Com

Dhruv Aggarwal

Chief Growth Officer, Emami Ltd

Malini Adapureddy

Founder & CEO, Deconstruct

Natasha Tuli

Founder & CEO, Soulflower

Karan Saraf

MD-Deals, PwC India

01Tracking India’s changing consumption map across Gen Z, Bharat and premium consumers through order patterns, channel behaviour and repeat purchases
02Building for Bharat beyond discounts — language, trust, COD/prepaid mix, delivery expectations, customer support and service reliability
03Decoding premiumisation beyond metros — where consumers are willing to pay more, where affordability still matters and how perceived value changes by category
04Reading consumer signals across marketplaces, D2C websites, quick commerce and offline retail and using data + AI to understand what actually drives conversion, loyalty and repeat behaviour
05Building one consumer view across multiple Indias without fragmenting product strategy, pricing, brand identity or post-purchase experience

Fireside

15:40-16:10

30 Minutes

Snitch @ ₹900 Cr: How Speed, Stores & Community Built A Cult Menswear Brand

Siddharth Dungarwal

Founder, Snitch

Mohit Sadaani

Angel Investor; Founder, The Moms Co.

01Decoding Snitch’s jump from ₹243 Cr in FY24 to ₹900 Cr in FY26 and the growth levers shaping its next revenue milestone
02Building a high-speed fashion engine through 21-day drops, made-to-demand production, micro-batch testing, trend mining and tighter inventory discipline
03Turning offline into a scale lever through PIN-code-led store selection, localised assortments, rent discipline, unit economics and store-level profitability
04Creating repeat demand through drop-led urgency, WhatsApp and SMS recovery, loyalty, sharp internet-native campaigns, collaborations and culture-led marketing moments
05Building a cult menswear brand through Snitch Squad, UGC-led discovery, community styling, 1,000+ micro-influencers and category expansion beyond apparel

Panel

16:10-16:35

25 Minutes

Turning One-Time Buyers Into Repeat Customers

Adwit Sharma

Senior Director – Presales & Solutions, Gupshup.ai

Srishti Tanwani

Cofounder & CEO, Indo Era

Rhea Chaterji

Cofounder & COO, SafeGold

Akhil Jain

MD, Jain Amar & CEO, Madame

Nikhil Subramaniam

Senior Editor, Inc42

01Moving conversations beyond customer support to discovery, education, reactivation, repeat purchases and loyalty
02Using WhatsApp, Instagram and conversational journeys to reduce drop-offs across browsing, checkout, delivery, reviews and post-purchase moments
03Building AI-led conversational flows for recommendations, replenishment nudges, customer support, product discovery and human escalation
04Turning conversational data into sharper segmentation, personalised campaigns, higher LTV and stronger owned customer relationships
05Balancing automation, consent, frequency, brand voice and trust while scaling customer conversations across large cohorts

Fireside

16:35-16:50

25 Minutes

The $1 Bn Sportswear Bet: Building India’s Sportswear House

Abhishek Ganguly

Cofounder & CEO, Agilitas Sports

Abhishek Bansal

Cofounder & CEO, Shadowfax

01Mapping India’s sportswear shift beyond cricket — from fitness-first consumers and running communities to pickleball, training, athleisure and performance wear becoming everyday fashion
02Building athlete-led brand credibility through one8, Virat Kohli, Smriti Mandhana and a wider sports talent network that moves beyond endorsements into ownership, co-creation and product trust
03Turning manufacturing into a competitive advantage through Mochiko — using domestic supply chain control, product development, quality, speed and cost discipline to build sportswear from India
04Cracking the right channel mix across EBOs, SportsYard, online, marketplaces and international markets while building a sportswear identity against global giants
05Building Agilitas as a sportswear house through multiple brands, athlete partnerships, retail experience, manufacturing depth and the operating discipline required to scale towards its $1 Bn ambition

Panel

16:50-17:20

30 Minutes

Is Quick Commerce A Margin Trap?

Chirag Gupta

Founder, 4700BC

Ritish Garg

Cofounder, Longway

Umair Mohammad

Founder & CEO, NITRO Commerce

Rohit Nandwani

Founder, Hammer Lifestyle

Renu Bisht

Founder & MD, Commercify360

01Why D2C brands are leaning into quick commerce despite thinner margins and rising platform dependency
02Packaging, pricing and positioning for 10-minute delivery — what changes when speed becomes the default
03Mapping high-conversion categories, impulse-led SKUs and replenishment use cases on q-commerce platforms
04Finding the margin with AI: using demand signals, inventory intelligence and sharper retail media allocation to navigate commissions, discounts, stock-outs and fulfilment expectations
05Building a sustainable q-commerce playbook without over-relying on paid visibility, platform algorithms or low-margin growth

Launch

17:20-17:28

8 Minutes

Vibe Coding Comes To Commerce

Umair Mohammad

Founder & CEO, NITRO Commerce

Panel

17:30-18:00

30 Minutes

Growth Without The Burn: Engineering Profitable Growth

Avnish Kumar

Chairman & MD, Neeru's

Rajesh Chandan

Founder, Indiashoppe

Harsh Somaiya

Cofounder, The Bear House

Swati Bhargava

Cofounder, CashKaro

01Moving from GMV-led growth to margin quality, retention, channel discipline and capital-efficient scale
02Rethinking unit economics across D2C, marketplaces, quick commerce, offline retail and modern trade instead of relying on blended profitability
03Pricing, promotion and discounting trade-offs in a market where consumers want value, platforms demand visibility spends and investors expect stronger margins
04Building repeat cohorts, higher LTV and owned customer relationships as paid acquisition, retail media and q-commerce visibility get more expensive
05Investing, automating and cutting back at the right stage — using AI and sharper operating systems to improve leverage without slowing down growth momentum

Panel

18:00-18:30

25 Minutes

The Conversion Stack For Consumer Brands

Raghav Verma

Cofounder, Chaayos

Jitika Gupta

Cofounder & CMO, BigMuscles Nutrition

Amitt Sharma

Chief Customer Officer, Snapmint

Shaily Mehrotra

Cofounder & CEO, Fixderma & FCL

Bismah Malik

Associate Editor, Inc42

01Why high-intent shoppers drop off despite strong product interest — price hesitation, trust gaps, checkout friction, delivery concerns and comparison behaviour
02The data every founder should track — cart abandonment, payment success, AOV, COD intent, prepaid mix, confirmation rates and repeat purchase behaviour
03Building purchase confidence through product education, social proof, reviews, warranties, returns and sharper landing-page journeys
04Improving conversion through smarter checkout flows, bundles, value packs, flexible payment options and category-specific nudges
05Using data and AI to identify hesitation signals, personalise journeys and improve conversion without hurting margins, customer trust or brand value

AMA

18:30-18:55

25 Minutes

OFF/BEAT With Aman Gupta

Aman Gupta

Founder, boAt | OFF/BEAT

The D2C & Retail Summit 2025

Shaping The Future Of New Commerce In India

THE D2C & RETAIL SUMMIT 2025

Our Legacy

Our 2026 Speaker Lineup

Aman Gupta

Viraj Bahl

Akis Evangelidis

Vedant Modi

Manu Chandra

Siddharth Dungarwal

Kamal Lochan Das

Abhishek Ganguly

Shivani Malik

Kannan Sitaram

Harsh Somaiya

Devangi Nishar Parekh

Abhishek Bansal

Nikhil Doda

Paras Desai

Suyash Saraf

Pankaj Vermani

Piyush Shah

Rhea Chaterji

Rajesh Chandan

Avnish Kumar

Pradeep Sekhar Chandrasekaran

Malini Adapureddy

Bharat Mandot

Dhruv Aggarwal

Srishti Tanwani

Aditya Singh

Umair Mohammad

Archana Jahagirdar

Praharsh Chandra

Adwit Sharma

Daman Soni

Amitt Sharma

Sneh Sharma

Mohit Sadaani

Gangatharaprabu Ganesan

Akhil Jain

Swati Bhargava

Akash Agrawalla

Kuldeep Parewa

Chirag Gupta

Swapnil Chauhan

Arjun Vaidya

Shreyans Jain

Anuj Nevatia

Alok Paul

Prateek Kedia

Renu Bisht

Karan Saraf

Ayush Bansal

Natasha Tuli

Harshit Vij

Ritish Garg

Vidit Jain

Chandra Bhanu

Prateek Bhagchandka

Krishna Gupta

Umang Maheshwari

Syed Shamoail Haque

Akash Agarwal

Raghav Verma

Jitika Gupta

Puneet Gupta

Shaily Mehrotra

Rohit Nandwani

Vaibhav Vardhan

Shantanu Kwatra

Nikhil Subramaniam

Bismah Malik

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

Who's Attending

INC42 IN THE D2C SPACE

Agenda 2026

Manyavar’s Next Shaadi: Stores, Screens & The Phygital Retail Playbook

Talking Points

Private
Workshops

Frequently Asked
Questions