Which product categories are actually good for a new D2C brand in India right now?
The short answer
In India the money has consistently clustered in food & beverage, beauty & personal care, and wellness/nutraceuticals, high-frequency, premiumisable categories where people re-order and are willing to trade up. Fashion and home are large but brutal on returns and inventory, so enter them only with a sharp niche. Read the category leaders' theses instead of chasing a viral SKU, because 'what wins' is really 'high repeat + healthy gross margin + a niche you can own.'
A quick summary to orient you. The real value is below: the resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it, not us.
Here are the resources
Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time. India-specific ones carry a badge.
Why we picked it
Frames where India's D2C ecosystem is headed next - full-stack, quick-commerce-integrated, no longer just 'brands selling online' - essential context for planning a scaling roadmap that doesn't get outdated in two years.
Why we picked it
Real category data from 1,000+ Indian D2C applicants rather than opinion, beauty & personal care, F&B, and fashion dominate the field, with BPC posting the highest median revenue. It also flags that tier-2/3 cities now drive most online orders, which matters when you decide who your first product is really for.
Why we picked it
Fireside's Kanwaljit Singh has backed Mamaearth, boAt, Yoga Bar and Vahdam, so his read on where headroom remains, ayurveda, wellness, home, specialty tea, premiumising FMCG, carries real weight. A morale-and-map read for anyone worried every good category is already taken.
Why we picked it
A first-cheque, high-engagement consumer fund focused on F&B, personal care and apparel/lifestyle - the kind of investor who gets genuinely hands-on early, which matters more than the cheque size at seed stage.
