Quick Commerce Needs More Time To Mature: Da Milano’s Shivani Malik

Indian D2C brands today find themselves in the middle of a quick-commerce-versus-marketplace debate. While quick commerce offers speed and convenience, marketplaces still lead on discovery, brand storytelling, and customer experience. For many brands, both the channels serve distinct roles, rather than competing directly.

Quick commerce needs more time to mature, while marketplaces remain relevant, especially for storytelling and reaching customers at scale, believes Shivani Malik, director of Da Milano, a premium leather accessories brand.

“For us, brand equity is a priority. We are not willing to compromise on packaging and overall experience – just to deliver a product in 10 minutes. Marketplaces offer a more complete environment that supports both brand presentation and customer engagement,” she said at a panel discussion on ‘Channel Surfing: How To Win On Marketplaces In 2025’ as part of the sixth edition of Inc42’s D2C & Retail Summit on July 25.

The panel also featured Abhishek Agarwal, cofounder of healthy snacks brand Farmley, Deep Bajaj, cofounder and CEO of Sirona Hygiene, which is a women’s intimate and menstrual hygiene brand, and Sriram G, COO of The Whole Truth, which is a clean label protein-focussed food brand.

Malik added that for Da milano, a significant share of business comes from platforms like Myntra and Ajio. “For a brand like ours, it’s important to be mindful of both where we are seen and how we are perceived. Choosing the right marketplaces is a strategic decision.”

Most of Da Milano’s marketplace sales come from platforms with a stronger focus on premium or luxury products. Platforms like Myntra, Ajio, and Nykaa attract customers with a luxury mindset that aligns with its brand positioning.

“Amazon is also part of our marketplace strategy, though it serves a broader audience. We’re still in the process of learning which platforms perform best for us across different product lines and price points,” she added.

The panelists explored key shifts in the marketplace ecosystem. They shared their views on how quick commerce has been reshaping the marketplace logic and highlighted the value of using marketplace data to thrash out strategies across other channels.

The conversation also touched on whether marketplaces still deliver the same sales velocity as they once did. Managing pricing and channel conflict between native stores and marketplaces came up as a recurring challenge. The panel compared vertical and horizontal models to find the right fit. They also shared views on navigating advertising spends in a high-cost, competitive environment.

Inc42’s latest ecommerce report shows that India has over 294 Mn online shoppers. With the rise of quick commerce marketplaces, consumer behaviour is shifting – there’s a growing preference for spontaneous, unplanned purchases over pre-planned ones.

Quick commerce is reshaping D2C by driving impulse purchases, reducing delivery windows, and pushing brands to optimise inventory and fulfillment closer to the consumer. It’s also creating discovery channels and raising expectations around speed, convenience, and availability. Thus opening new opportunities for the rising bandwagon of D2C startups.