Why The Future Of Indian Retail Is Omnichannel

Source: inc42

Why The Future Of Indian Retail Is Omnichannel

Business

Indian consumers are adopting a multi-channel shopping approach, blending Instagram discovery, ecommerce price comparisons, and offline trials before purchasing via D2C platforms. While quick commerce is replacing traditional kirana stores for convenience-led categories, products requiring physical trial still depend on offline retail. To achieve growth, brands must maintain a presence across all touchpoints, integrating quick commerce, ecommerce, and physical stores to meet diverse consumer behaviors.

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You can Venmo your college tuition, for some reason

Startups

PayPal and its subsidiary Venmo are partnering with education payment platforms Illumia, Nelnet Campus Commerce, and TouchNet to allow students and families to pay college tuition through their apps. This integration aims to provide a more flexible and seamless payment experience for thousands of institutions. By offering these familiar digital payment options, the companies hope to reduce friction and make the tuition payment process more accessible.

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AI isn’t close to curing cancer. This startup says it knows what it will take.

Startups

AI isn’t close to curing cancer. This startup says it knows what it will take.

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Butterfly Learnings raises Rs 65 Cr funding led by Inflexor Ventures

Startups

Butterfly Learnings, an Indian paediatric behavioural healthcare platform, has raised Rs 65 crore in a pre-Series B funding round led by Inflexor Ventures. The company, founded by Dr. Sonam Kothari and Dr. Abhishek Sen, aims to provide coordinated care for children with neurodevelopmental conditions. The capital will be used to expand its network of centres, enhance its technology platform, and commercialise a proprietary early autism screening solution.

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Why Dogsee Chew Refused A UK Distributor’s Demand To Drop ‘Made In India’

Business

Pet wellness brand Dogsee Chew rejected a UK distributor's request to remove "Made in India" labels, instead leveraging its Himalayan origins to build a global identity. Now operating in over 30 countries, the company generates 95% of its revenue from exports. This shift reflects a broader trend of Indian brands utilizing authenticity and craftsmanship to compete internationally, moving from simple exporting to establishing premium global brand recognition.

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How AI Helped The Bear House Grow Its Conversions 5X

Business

AI shopping agents are transforming ecommerce by shifting from product discovery to intent-led shopping. By leveraging consumer preferences and context, platforms like Glance enable brands to personalize recommendations and streamline the purchase journey. For example, The Bear House saw conversions increase fivefold and returns drop by 20% after implementing these tools. This shift encourages brands to prioritize solving customer intent over traditional website traffic strategies.

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Butterfly Learnings Raises ₹65 Cr To Scale Neurodivergent Care Network

Business

Butterfly Learnings, a Mumbai-based healthtech startup focusing on neurodevelopmental care, has raised ₹65 crore in a pre-Series B round led by Inflexor Ventures. The company plans to expand its network of therapy centers beyond Maharashtra and scale its AI-powered autism screening tool, Get SET Early. With over 90 existing centers, the startup aims to enhance accessibility for children with autism, ADHD, and other behavioral health challenges.

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Why health insurance is starting to look different for Gen Z

Startups

Aditya Birla Health Insurance has launched the Activ Yuva Plan, specifically designed for Gen Z and young professionals. Moving beyond traditional hospitalization, the plan rewards healthy habits like exercise and sleep through HealthReturns™, which can offset premiums. It offers comprehensive coverage including OPD, mental health services, and short-stay treatments. Additional features like Yuva Credit and Travel ON/OFF ensure the policy evolves with the user's lifestyle and future needs.

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Relativity Networks raises $22 million to bring a faster kind of fiber to data centers

Startups

Relativity Networks has raised $22 million in funding and secured a $40 million order to deploy hollow-core fiber technology. Unlike traditional glass fiber, this technology uses a vacuum chamber to transmit data 30% faster, significantly reducing latency. This innovation allows AI data centers to span larger distances and connect multiple campuses, helping developers overcome power and geographical constraints as compute projects continue to scale.

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Fast-approval health insurance policies in India: Plans, benefits, and who should consider them

Startups

"Fast-approval health insurance policies in India, such as those from Star Health, ACKO, HDFC, and ICICI Lombard, offer immediate coverage without traditional waiting periods. These plans provide essential financial protection against rising medical inflation and enable prompt access to preventive care and surgery. When selecting a policy, consumers should evaluate the sum insured and verify the insurer's claim settlement ratio through IRDAI to ensure reliable coverage.".

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CtrlS DataCenters Nets ₹250 Cr From Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath, Sreeram Reddy Vanga

Business

CtrlS DataCentres has raised ₹250 crore in equity funding from Zerodha cofounder Nikhil Kamath and Kofluence cofounder Sreeram Reddy Vanga. The company aims to expand its infrastructure to meet India's rising AI-driven demand from enterprises and hyperscalers. This follows a ₹7,000 crore commitment from CPP Investments at a $4.8 billion valuation. CtrlS plans to reach 4 GW of capacity by 2031 while expanding internationally.

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D2C Brands Should Use Quick Commerce Gains To Scale General Trade: Veeba’s Viraj Bahl

Business

"Veeba founder Viraj Bahl advises D2C brands to leverage the quick commerce boom for visibility and rapid scaling while reinvesting those gains into general trade for long-term sustainability. While quick commerce drives growth, Bahl emphasizes that traditional kirana stores remain critical, accounting for over 70% of Veeba's business. He also highlighted the importance of managing marketing expenditures based on past failures to ensure sustainable expansion.".

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Zerodha Co-founder Nikhil Kamath infuses Rs 200 Cr in Ctrls’ Rs 250 Cr fund raise

Startups

"Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath and entrepreneur Sreeram Reddy Vanga have invested a combined Rs 250 crore in CtrlS, an Indian hyperscale data centre operator. The capital will fund infrastructure expansion to meet the rising demand for AI, cloud, and digital workloads. Founded in 2007, CtrlS currently operates 19 data centres across India, positioning itself to support the nation's rapidly growing digital infrastructure and technological ambitions.".

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How Quick Commerce Has Become More Than A Convenience Play

Business

Quick commerce in India is expanding beyond groceries into apparel, beauty, and pharma as consumers increasingly demand instant delivery. This shift provides emerging brands a competitive route to market, offering better inventory visibility and faster payment cycles than traditional retail. Investors are now prioritizing sustainable growth and customer loyalty over discounts, viewing marketplace-led expansion as a viable alternative to the high costs of direct-to-consumer customer acquisition.

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KKR To Invest In BookMyShow To Fuel Live Entertainment Push

Business

"Global investment firm KKR has signed agreements to acquire a minority stake in BookMyShow, an online ticketing and entertainment platform, for an undisclosed amount. This investment aims to scale BookMyShow's live entertainment business and expand its full-stack offerings in India. The move comes as demand for out-of-home experiences grows and competition intensifies from rivals like District and Flipkart in a rapidly expanding event ticketing market.".

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Why Dot & Key Waited Until ₹300 Cr Revenue Before Going Offline

Business

Dot & Key CEO Suyash Saraf revealed that the skincare brand expanded into offline retail only after achieving ₹250-300 crore in revenue and establishing online category leadership. Speaking at the D2C & Retail Summit, Saraf emphasized building digital demand and brand recall first. The brand now employs an omnichannel strategy with consistent pricing. Other industry leaders noted that distribution playbooks vary significantly based on product category and consumer trust.

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How Manyavar Is Using AI To Take The Guesswork Out Of Retail

Business

Manyavar is leveraging AI and advanced data analytics to automate business decisions and optimize its retail operations. By analyzing 85 crore historical data points and utilizing granular product categorization, the brand automates store-level inventory allocation based on local trends. This data-driven approach has helped Manyavar achieve over ₹1,000 crore in revenue with margins exceeding 65%, significantly reducing dead stock and improving overall sell-through rates.

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Y Combinator Rakes In ₹1,435 Cr From Groww Stake Sale, Clocks 55.7X Return

Business

Y Combinator sold ₹1,435.2 Cr worth of shares in Groww parent Billionbrains Garage Ventures, marking another partial exit. This transaction brought YC's cumulative proceeds from Groww to ₹4,132 Cr, achieving a 55.7X return on the latest sale. YC continues to hold an 8.6% stake in the fintech company, demonstrating its successful investment strategy in India.

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Beyond red flags: How AI is redefining financial fraud detection

Startups

Financial fraud has evolved into a sophisticated, AI-powered ecosystem, with India reporting over 6.58 million complaints and Rs 55,050 crore in losses between 2021 and 2025. Traditional static controls are now insufficient. To combat this, financial institutions are adopting AI-driven risk frameworks, secure APIs, and real-time intelligence. These proactive measures, supported by strong data governance, aim to prevent fraud before it occurs rather than reacting after the fact. (70 words) -.

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Swiggy shareholders greenlight proposal for Indian-owned company status

Startups

Swiggy shareholders have approved capping foreign ownership at 49.5%, enabling the company to qualify as an Indian-owned and controlled company. This status allows Swiggy to adopt an inventory-led model for its quick commerce brand, Instamart, to enhance margins and supply chain control. Additionally, the firm updated its Articles of Association to align with FEMA regulations and announced expanded leadership roles for three senior executives across its businesses.

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