The Starting Point
Brand: A minimalist home decor D2C brand (candles, wall art, planters, cushion covers).
Problem: Stuck at ₹6L/month on D2C website alone. Meta ad CAC was ₹650 and rising. Organic traffic was growing but slowly. Needed to break through the revenue ceiling.
The Hypothesis
Instead of spending more on ads to drive D2C traffic, use marketplaces for customer acquisition and D2C for retention:
- Amazon and Flipkart for discovery — customers searching for ‘wall art’ or ‘scented candles’ find the brand
- Include brand inserts in marketplace orders — driving them to the D2C website for future purchases
- D2C website offers better prices, loyalty program, and exclusive products — incentivizing direct purchases
The Execution
Month 1: Amazon + Flipkart Listing
- Listed top 30 products on both marketplaces
- Used FBA for Amazon (Prime badge), Flipkart Assured for Flipkart
- Pricing: 5-10% higher than D2C website (to cover marketplace fees and incentivize direct purchase)
- Started Amazon PPC at ₹300/day, Flipkart ads at ₹200/day
Month 2-3: The Insert Strategy
- Every marketplace order included a branded card: ‘Love this? Get 15% off your next order at [website]. Plus: exclusive products and free shipping.’
- QR code linked to WhatsApp → automated welcome sequence → D2C website
- 15% of marketplace buyers scanned the QR code. 40% of scanners made a D2C purchase within 30 days.
Month 4-6: Channel Optimization
- Amazon became the #1 discovery channel — 60% of new customers first purchased on Amazon
- D2C became the repeat purchase channel — 70% of second purchases happened on the website
- Reduced Meta ad spend by 30% — marketplace + organic was now driving enough new customers
- Launched 5 ‘website exclusive’ products — only available on D2C, driving marketplace customers to convert
The Results
| Metric | Before (D2C Only) | After (Hybrid, Month 6) |
|---|---|---|
| Total monthly revenue | ₹6L | ₹14L |
| D2C revenue | ₹6L | ₹8L |
| Amazon revenue | ₹0 | ₹4L |
| Flipkart revenue | ₹0 | ₹2L |
| Meta ad spend | ₹2L | ₹1.4L (reduced 30%) |
| Marketplace ad spend | ₹0 | ₹45K |
| Total ad spend | ₹2L | ₹1.85L |
| New customers/month | 150 | 380 |
| Repeat purchase rate (D2C) | 12% | 24% |
| Blended CAC | ₹650 | ₹420 |
Key Lessons
- Marketplaces are customer acquisition channels, not the end destination — Use them to introduce your brand. Build the relationship on D2C.
- The insert strategy is powerful but subtle — Don’t push too hard. A tasteful card with a genuine incentive works. A flyer screaming ‘BUY FROM US DIRECTLY’ feels desperate.
- Price differential matters — D2C must be cheaper (or offer exclusive products/benefits). Give customers a reason to switch.
- Track channel attribution carefully — Use unique UTM codes and WhatsApp flows to track which marketplace buyers become D2C customers.
- Exclusive products create channel loyalty — Products only available on D2C give customers a reason to bookmark your website.
Want a Hybrid Strategy?
At Growww Tech, we build hybrid marketplace + D2C strategies for Indian brands. Let’s diversify your channels.
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