D2C
The resources brand builders actually use.
Every guide, video, podcast, report and tool behind 482 answered questions on building a direct-to-consumer brand, in one place, each with a note on why it is here.
What founders use most, ranked by how many answers lean on it.
- A payments-infrastructure company's overview of how cross-border payments actually clear in India, useful background for... worldline.com Article Cross Border Payments in India Worldline India In 2 answers
- A focused explainer specifically on the RBI/FEMA regulatory framework (purpose codes, reporting) that most payment-platform... crossglobepay.com Article Cross-Border Payment Regulations in India, What Businesses Need to Know CrossGlobePay In 2 answers
- Razorpay's own guide, written as an Indian payment aggregator now licensed for cross-border transactions, covers the practical... razorpay.com Article B2B Cross-Border Payments: The Complete 2026 Guide for Indian Businesses Razorpay In 2 answers
- The canonical explanation of what PMax actually optimises (bidding, budget, audiences, creatives, attribution) straight from... Google Ads Help Article About Performance Max Campaigns Google In 2 answers
- A thorough current reference covering setup through optimisation, useful as a single bookmark to return to as your PMax account... Dataslayer Article Google Ads Performance Max: Complete Guide 2025 Dataslayer In 2 answers
- Answers the real operational question once you've outgrown 'just run PMax', how to keep a standard Shopping campaign running... Smarter Ecommerce Article How to Run Google Shopping Alongside Performance Max in 2026 Smarter Ecommerce In 2 answers
- A comprehensive, current Shopping ads reference with real emphasis on feed quality as the foundation, the right depth for a... Vizion Interactive Article The Ultimate Guide to Google Shopping Ads in 2026 Vizion Interactive In 2 answers
- A concrete, numbers-backed case study of what actually moved a PMax account's revenue, useful as a sanity check against vague... Go Inflow Article eCommerce Performance Max Case Study: 76.3% Increase in Revenue Go Inflow In 2 answers
- Written specifically for ecommerce sellers and D2C brands rather than generic MSME audiences, so it addresses the exact... kanakkupillai.com Article MSME Registration for E-commerce Sellers & D2C Brands Kanakkupillai In 2 answers
- A fintech's step-by-step walkthrough of the actual Udyam registration process and certificate download, useful as the practical... cashfree.com Article MSME Registration: Eligibility, Process, Documents & Certificate Download Guide (2026) Cashfree In 2 answers
- A cross-border payments platform's comprehensive list of every major Indian export promotion scheme in one place - RoDTEP,... skydo.com Article Export Promotion Schemes in India: Full List (2026) Skydo In 2 answers
- A tax advisory firm's technical read on export incentives, useful once you're past the beginner explainers and want the... rsm.global Article Export Incentives in India: RoDTEP Scheme, EPCG & More RSM India In 2 answers
- Connects the scheme-by-scheme detail to an actual go-global strategy for MSMEs, which is the framing most founders actually... mygstrefund.com Article How MSMEs Can Go Global: Schemes & Strategy MYGSTRefund In 2 answers
- A DTC-specific playbook that frames the real decision every founder faces: stay on Alibaba, build a direct factory... portless.com Article How to Source Products From China: A DTC Playbook Portless In 2 answers
- The classic account of how factory relationships quietly degrade after the first good batch, essential mental preparation... goodreads.com Book Poorly Made in China: An Insider's Account of the Tactics Behind China's Production Game Paul Midler In 2 answers
- A DTC-focused sourcing overview that's useful precisely because it treats freight and customs as part of sourcing strategy, not... logisticsff.com Article Product Sourcing in China: Guide for DTC & Dropshipping LogisticsFF In 2 answers
- Upfluence runs affiliate-and-influencer stacks for thousands of D2C brands, and this guide is the clearest playbook for turning... upfluence.com Article D2C Influencer Marketing Strategy Upfluence In 2 answers
- The most rupee-specific rate card we found - nano at roughly Rs 3,000-5,000 a Reel up to macro at Rs 84,000-7.9 lakh - plus the... jigsawkraft.com Article Influencer Marketing Cost in India (2026): Real Rates, Agency Fees & Hidden Charges Jigsawkraft In 2 answers
- A clean definitional starting point from a tool built specifically around seeding, drawing the line between seeding, gifting... SeedingOps Article What is Product Seeding? The Complete Guide (2026) SeedingOps In 2 answers
- GRIN runs product-seeding infrastructure for a living, so this is a practitioner's guide, not a marketer's blog post -... GRIN Article Top Guide to Product Seeding in Influencer Marketing GRIN In 2 answers
- Makes the ROI case with numbers - a small product-cost seeded post can become an ad that outperforms an expensive... GRIN Article Product Seeding in 2026: The Influencer Marketing Strategy That's Quietly Outperforming Paid Campaigns GRIN In 2 answers
- Directly addresses why many small, on-topic creators tend to out-convert one big off-topic name for ecommerce specifically,... Stack Influence Article Micro-Influencers and UGC in E-Commerce Stack Influence In 2 answers
- The most complete single walkthrough of the actual seeding mechanics - who to target, expected accept/post rates, outreach... AmbassadorFlow Article Influencer Seeding: The Complete Guide for Ecommerce (2026) AmbassadorFlow In 2 answers
- The best plain-English overview of what selling abroad actually involves, market selection, payment localization, shipping,... shopify.com Article International Ecommerce: A 2026 Guide to Global Sales Shopify In 2 answers
Playbooks
A goal, and the route through it a step at a time.
Pick what to sell
Choose a category you can win and a product people actually want.
Launch your D2C brand
From a product idea to your first orders: pick what to sell, make it, put up a store, and open the doors.
Find a manufacturer in India
Find a factory, sample it, and place a first order you can trust.
Develop and package your product
Turn a sample into a product, packaging, and a cost you can price around.
Build your online store
A store that looks real, loads fast, and takes payments and COD.
Turn store traffic into orders
Fix the leaks: conversion, product pages, and the right apps.
Get GST-ready and compliant
Register, get GST-ready across states, and clear the licenses you need to sell.
Protect your brand and IP
Trademark your name, fight counterfeits, and handle customer data right.
Build a prelaunch audience
Gather an audience that's ready to buy before you open the doors.
Get your first 100 orders
The scrappy, unscalable work of going from zero to a hundred paying customers.
Grow with influencers and UGC
Seed creators, run UGC, and turn affiliates into a channel.
Run profitable ads
Meta, Google, and creatives that actually return, and scale without breaking your numbers.
Grow organically with SEO and content
Compound free traffic with SEO, content, and earned press.
Retain and bring buyers back
Email, WhatsApp, and loyalty that turn one order into many.
Make money on every order
Know your costs, price for value, and make sure the unit economics actually work.
Sell everywhere
Amazon, quick commerce, ONDC, and offline retail: win every shelf, not just your own.
Master fulfillment and CX
Inventory, shipping, returns, and support that create repeat buyers, not tickets.
Go global, cross-border
Where to sell abroad first, and how to ship and get paid across borders.
Raise funding for your brand
Know your numbers, weigh the options, and find the right investors and grants.
Scale past 1 crore
What breaks at each level, the operations to hold it together, and the money to fund the next.
The questions brand builders start with
I want to build a D2C brand but I haven't picked a product yet. How do I actually decide what to sell?
Don't start from 'what's trending', start from the overlap of a real, repeat problem you understand, a customer you can reach affordably, and margi...
How many pre-orders or sign-ups actually prove people will pay, versus just being polite interest?
Clicks and "interested" DMs are free to give and mean almost nothing - the real signal is money or a firm written commitment changing hands before ...
How do I actually find a manufacturer to make my product in India?
Start with a one-page spec sheet so every factory quotes the same thing, then work three channels in parallel: B2B directories like IndiaMART and T...
Shopify or WooCommerce for my first store in India?
For a first D2C store in India, default to Shopify unless you already know WordPress cold or need heavy content/SEO customization from day one. Sho...
Built for the Indian market
642 of our resources are tagged for India: GST and compliance, finding manufacturers, marketplaces and quick commerce, ONDC, RTO and COD, and cross-border export.
Questions for what you sell
Questions for your situation
eChai Partner Brands
The partnership →