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.

  1. A direct policy page from a major Indian insurer, useful as a second quote source alongside a broker like BimaKavach, and to... HDFC ERGO Tool Product Liability Insurance Policy in India HDFC ERGO
  2. A marketplace-seller-focused insurer's own product page, useful if you sell cross-border and need a provider that already... Assureful Tool eCommerce Product Liability Insurance for Online Sellers Assureful
  3. The official source, go here to file for DPIIT recognition directly and cross-check any benefit a third-party blog claims,... Startup India (startupindia.gov.in) Tool Startup India Scheme DPIIT, Government of India
  4. If you'd rather not navigate the government portal solo, this is a straightforward paid-assist option for getting the DPIIT... SetIndiaBiz Tool Startup India Registration | DPIIT Recognition Services SetIndiaBiz
  5. The standard free-tier tool for a directional read on where a competitor's website traffic actually comes from (search, social,... Similarweb Tool Website Traffic Checker - Free Analytics for Any Website Similarweb
  6. The single most useful free competitive research tool for D2C - see every ad a competitor is currently running across Facebook... Meta / Facebook Tool Meta Ad Library Meta
  7. Estimates full landed cost including duties, taxes and the hidden charges founders typically forget to budget for on their... calcwise.finance Tool Advanced Import Duty Calculator India Calcwise
  8. A dedicated landed-cost calculator, not just duty, closer to the actual number you need for pricing than a duty-only tool. eximigo.com Tool Import Duty & Landed Cost Calculator Eximigo
  9. A free calculator-plus-guide combo for turning your landed cost into a retail price with a target margin, useful as a quick... freetoolstack.com Tool E-Commerce Pricing & Profit Margins Guide FreeToolStack
  10. A Bengaluru-founded enterprise loyalty platform running 100+ loyalty programs across 30+ countries and 120K+ stores - the... capillarytech.com Tool Capillary Loyalty Program Software Capillary Technologies
  11. From one of India's most-followed personal-branding voices, who built his own audience from a niche blog to hundreds of... digitaldeepak.com Course Build Your Personal Brand with Digital Marketing Deepak Kanakaraju (Digital Deepak)
  12. The official self-service counterfeit-removal tool, free once you're Brand Registry-enrolled, this is the primary weapon... Amazon Tool Project Zero | Sell on Amazon Amazon
  13. A long-established brand-protection platform with direct relationships across dozens of marketplaces, a solid second option to... Red Points Tool Red Points' AI Brand Protection Platform Red Points
  14. The closest thing to a structured, practitioner-built curriculum in CRO - 20 courses across research, testing and psychology... cxl.com Course Conversion Optimization Minidegree CXL Institute
  15. The single best 'install this today' recommendation for a founder who has never watched a real shopper try to buy on their site... clarity.microsoft.com Tool Clarity - Heatmaps Microsoft
  16. WhatsApp cart-recovery messages get opened and read in India the way emails never will - this is the highest-leverage single... apps.shopify.com Tool Bitespeed: WhatsApp Chat & Abandoned Cart Recovery Bitespeed
  17. Ready-to-use WhatsApp templates for the exact recurring D2C support scenarios, order confirmation, shipping updates, returns,... Gallabox Template Free E-commerce/D2C WhatsApp Message Templates for Customer Support & FAQs Gallabox
  18. Leans further into 'WhatsApp as a storefront' than pure support tools, catalog, cart and payments inside the chat, worth... Zoko Tool Zoko, WhatsApp Commerce & Customer Support Zoko
  19. The original Sean Ellis PMF survey, made freely usable - the fastest way to actually run the 40% test on your own repeat buyers... pmfsurvey.com Tool Product/Market Fit Survey Sean Ellis & GoPractice
  20. An ad-spy tool that lets you see whether other sellers are already running profitable, long-running ads for a similar product -... Minea Tool How to Find Dropshipping Products That Actually Sell Minea
  21. A free, DPDP-specific privacy notice generator (available in English and Indian languages), start here instead of retrofitting... DPDPA.com Tool DPDPA Privacy Notice Generator DPDPA.com
  22. A single page of downloadable DPDP-aligned templates, data protection policy, privacy notice, consent forms, that saves you... DPDPA.com Template Templates and Policies, DPDP Rules DPDPA.com
  23. Useful if you need one policy that references DPDP, GDPR, and CCPA together, a realistic need for a D2C brand selling on its... PolicyOwn Tool Free Privacy Policy Generator for Websites & Apps | GDPR, CCPA & India DPDP PolicyOwn
  24. Positioned as the most complete DPDP-native consent platform for Indian businesses, with one-click plugins for Shopify,... Digital Anumati Tool Consent Manager Under DPDP Act Digital Anumati

Show the next 24

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. 4 steps 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. 6 steps Find a manufacturer in India Find a factory, sample it, and place a first order you can trust. 4 steps Develop and package your product Turn a sample into a product, packaging, and a cost you can price around. 4 steps Build your online store A store that looks real, loads fast, and takes payments and COD. 4 steps Turn store traffic into orders Fix the leaks: conversion, product pages, and the right apps. 3 steps Get GST-ready and compliant Register, get GST-ready across states, and clear the licenses you need to sell. 4 steps Protect your brand and IP Trademark your name, fight counterfeits, and handle customer data right. 3 steps Build a prelaunch audience Gather an audience that's ready to buy before you open the doors. 4 steps Get your first 100 orders The scrappy, unscalable work of going from zero to a hundred paying customers. 5 steps Grow with influencers and UGC Seed creators, run UGC, and turn affiliates into a channel. 3 steps Run profitable ads Meta, Google, and creatives that actually return, and scale without breaking your numbers. 6 steps Grow organically with SEO and content Compound free traffic with SEO, content, and earned press. 3 steps Retain and bring buyers back Email, WhatsApp, and loyalty that turn one order into many. 4 steps Make money on every order Know your costs, price for value, and make sure the unit economics actually work. 5 steps Sell everywhere Amazon, quick commerce, ONDC, and offline retail: win every shelf, not just your own. 5 steps Master fulfillment and CX Inventory, shipping, returns, and support that create repeat buyers, not tickets. 5 steps Go global, cross-border Where to sell abroad first, and how to ship and get paid across borders. 5 steps Raise funding for your brand Know your numbers, weigh the options, and find the right investors and grants. 4 steps Scale past 1 crore What breaks at each level, the operations to hold it together, and the money to fund the next. 5 steps

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... Beginner 3 resources → 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 ... Beginner 4 resources → 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... Beginner 5 resources → 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... Beginner 4 resources →
The India edge

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

Beauty & Personal Care Food & Beverage Fashion, Apparel & Accessories Wellness & Nutraceuticals Home, Kitchen & Decor Electronics, Gadgets & Appliances Baby, Kids & Toys Pet Care Category-agnostic

Questions for your situation

The Aspiring Brand Builder The Maker / Artisan The Trader Going Own-Brand The Just-Launched Founder The Marketplace Seller The Scaling Brand The Omnichannel Operator The Cross-Border Founder The Bootstrapped Side-Hustler The Product Person The Creator-Led Founder The Tier-2/3 Founder
eChai Partner Brands The partnership →