D2C Marketing: Nestle, Panasonic, Daver and Wipro Consumer Care are planning to focus more on D2C marketing.

Large packaged goods companies such as Nestle, Panasonic, Dabur and Wipro Consumer are planning to enter the direct-to-consumer (D2C) segment with their own microsites or invest heavily, launching online-only brands. Said it was going to go up. Companies like Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Marico and Emami started operating their own microsites about a year ago.

“Dabur Shop is currently in beta testing and we plan to roll it out by March 2023. We also plan to use the platform to launch digital-first brands,” said Dabur CEO. Mohit Malhotra said. The company that makes Vatika shampoo and his Red toothpaste will also sell Ayurvedic products here. “Over time, this will become a one-stop-shop for Dabur’s full range, including a portfolio of Ayurvedic medicines not readily available on the e-commerce market,” he said.

Santoor soap maker Wipro Consumer Care, which has invested in nutritional supplement maker Powergummies, ayurvedic company TAC and men’s grooming startup LetsShave, is eyeing the D2C food space for the first time next year. He has secured Rs 200 crore for Wipro Ventures, which the company invests in startups, of which he still needs to deploy Rs 100 crore.

Nestlé, the country’s packaged food maker, is also testing its own platform called MyNestl, which the company says will curate products, personalized gifts, subscriptions and discounts.

A spokeswoman for Panasonic, a consumer electronics maker that has just launched its D2C platform in the country, said it aims to expand the scope of its direct-to-consumer sales to include lifestyle and grooming products by the end of next month. rice field. “Currently, the products we manufacture in India such as washing machines, refrigerators and TVs are available on our platform. We are looking into it.” A Panasonic spokesperson said:

Despite low sales on individual platforms, executives are using microsites as launch platforms to collect consumer data and build loyalty before mass rolling out on other larger channels. , said it is trying to entice consumers to scale platforms like Amazon and Flipkart.

Kannan Sitaram, partner at Fireside Ventures, an early-stage consumer startup investor that raised $225 million in its third fund focused on digital-first consumer brands, said: I’m here. More and more companies are setting up their own platforms, using their own or acquired brands. We expect the momentum to pick up next year. ”

From January to December 2022, more than 800 new D2C platforms (or platforms that sell directly to consumers online rather than through marketplaces such as Amazon or Flipkart) will be introduced, with 40-50 million 10,000 new shoppers were tapped. A new report by his RPSG Capital Ventures, which has invested in his independent D2C companies such as Souled Store, mCaffeine, Vedix and SkinKraft. His RPSG partner Sambit Dash said:

Earlier this month, HUL announced a cumulative investment of INR 334 crore in digital-first start-ups OZiva and Wellbeing Nutrition to reach existing consumers through shopping sites such as Love Beauty & Planet, Dermalogica and Simple Labels. Expanded direct sales presence.

Most companies are experimenting with their own microsites for premium discretionary products, protecting their stocks among dozens of digital-only platforms. This trend has escalated during the pandemic as consumers switched from shopping in malls and markets to online.