Kolkata’s D2CX Converge highlights the importance of operational systems and customer understanding for emerging Indian consumer brands aiming for growth amid intense competition and a expanding market.
Kolkata’s consumer brand community gathered this week for a practical look at what it now takes to scale in India’s crowded direct-to-consumer market. According to Inc42, more than 60 founders, operators and ecosystem figures attended D2CX Converge, a meet-up organised with Shadowfax that focused on retention, omnichannel expansion, operational discipline and brand differentiation.
The event came against a backdrop of a market that is still expanding. Inc42’s own D2C 3.0 report for 2026 says India has 350 million online shoppers, including 19 million power shoppers who place 50 or more ecommerce orders a year. That customer base, the publication argued, still leaves room for new brands, even as competition intensifies and founders are being pushed to balance growth with profitability.
One of the central sessions was a fireside chat with Murali Krishnan, the chief marketing officer and cofounder of Wow! Momo, on the company’s rise to more than ₹1,000 crore in annual scale. Krishnan described how the pandemic forced the business to rethink its model and led to the creation of Wow! China, which has since grown into a major desi-Chinese quick service restaurant chain. He said the company’s delivery business jumped from 15,000 orders in February 2020 to 9 lakh in October 2020, underscoring how fast demand shifted during the disruption.
Krishnan also argued that durable growth depends less on chasing sales targets than on understanding what customers want. He said Wow! Momo has invested in customer relationship management tools, consumer data analysis and direct review of complaints to shape product and marketing decisions. The broader message from the discussion was that scale comes from strong systems, technology and operational discipline rather than expansion for its own sake.
A second panel brought together Aditi Murarka Agrawal of Nestasia, Devangi Nishar Parekh of Aza Fashions, Stuti Kothari of WishCare and Rimjim Deka of Littlebox, with Shadowfax’s Karnika Bansal moderating. Agrawal said founders should spend time reading feedback and speaking to consumers instead of relying only on instinct. Kothari said WishCare has deliberately avoided celebrity-led hype in favour of consistency and trust. Parekh said luxury retention is built on service and brand identity, not just assortment, while Deka argued that companies should put processes in place early as if they may one day be sold or go public.
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