Blog
Notes from the field on Indian FMCG
Practical, data-backed perspectives on distribution, pricing, go-to-market, and sales strategy — written for founders bringing an online-first brand offline.
Distribution & Market Entry
The Offline Trap: Why D2C Brands That Win Online Stumble at the Shelf
Offline still drives the overwhelming majority of Indian FMCG sales. Here's why online-first brands underestimate it, the mistakes founders repeat, and a simple framework for expanding offline without wasting a year on it.
Pricing & Margin
Why Discounting Is the Most Expensive Growth Strategy You'll Ever Run
Deep discounts and trade schemes feel like the fastest way to unlock distribution. In practice, they're the fastest way to lose pricing control across every channel you sell in. Here's what discipline looks like instead.
Sales Strategy & Team Structuring
Building Your First Offline Sales Team: What FMCG Discipline Teaches Growth-Stage Founders
Most growth-stage brands improvise their offline sales org the way they'd never improvise their performance-marketing stack. Here's how traditional FMCG structures territory, incentives, and KPIs before it hires a single rep.
Data & Technology
Data Is the New Distributor: The Role of Technology in Modern FMCG Distribution
India's FMCG distribution network spans over 13 million outlets — too fragmented to run on spreadsheets and gut feel. Here's how SFA, DMS, and ONDC are changing what 'knowing your distribution' actually means.
Distribution Insights
Numeric vs Weighted Distribution: The Metric Most Founders Get Wrong
"We're in 5,000 stores now" is a headline number that can mean almost nothing. Here's the distribution metric that actually predicts revenue — and why chasing outlet count instead of it quietly wastes a sales team's first year.