At the ETRetail E-Commerce and Digital Natives Summit 2026, a panel titled “Hype, Hope & Hard Numbers: Building a D2C Brand When Attention Is Expensive” brought together founders from four direct-to-consumer brands to discuss how the rising cost of attention is reshaping go-to-market strategies. According to the panel, modern D2C growth increasingly depends on retention-led acquisition systems rather than reliance on viral spikes.
Rising Cost of Attention and Retention-First GTM
Founders highlighted that the attention economy has become crowded, making customer acquisition more expensive. They argued that structured, retention-led acquisition systems are now necessary for sustainable growth. Shivam Tripathi, Co-Founder of NewMe, noted that while Instagram remains a primary channel for awareness, conversions are driven by a mix of paid ads and content-led engagement strategies. Vineet Khanna, Co-Founder of Supertails, said the pet care category is fundamentally a retention-led business where habit and trust matter more than acquisition spikes. He emphasised that viral acquisition often leads to poor-quality customers with low retention, making sustainable unit economics difficult.
Influencer Marketing: Shifting to In-House Ecosystems
Panelists discussed the increasing complexity of influencer-driven marketing, with rising costs and diminishing marginal returns from large creators. According to Shivam Tripathi, brands are shifting toward building in-house creator ecosystems rather than relying entirely on agencies, which enables better control over performance tracking and narrative consistency. He added that managing large creator networks internally improves visibility into what content actually drives engagement and conversions. Bert Mueller, Co-Founder of California Burrito, said content marketing must be evaluated based on geo-relevance and intent rather than just follower count. He noted that micro and nano creators often deliver better outcomes for geographically concentrated businesses, particularly in QSR formats where proximity plays a key role in conversion. The panel also noted that macro influencers are becoming significantly more expensive without proportional returns in many categories, and brands are increasingly evaluating partnerships based on CPM, engagement quality, and geo-target relevance.
Category Selection and Quick Commerce Impact
Akash Agrawalla, Co-Founder of ZOFF, highlighted that category selection and timing play a critical role in building scalable D2C brands. He noted that e-commerce provides strong demand signals in categories like spices, where purchase intent is high and repeat consumption is frequent. According to Agrawalla, quick commerce has further strengthened this behaviour by enabling instant fulfilment for everyday consumption needs.
Viral vs. Sustainable Brand Building
A key theme of the discussion was the distinction between viral content and sustainable brand building. Panelists agreed that virality can drive short-term awareness but rarely translates into long-term retention or brand equity. They noted that viral users often exhibit low retention rates and create operational inefficiencies due to sudden demand spikes. Instead, founders emphasised content that drives repeat behaviour and brand clarity over chasing viral spikes. The session, moderated by Aditya Singh, Co-Founder & Partner at All In Capital, concluded that long-term success in D2C depends on repeat purchase behaviour, strong product-market fit, and brand clarity.
Implications for Cross-Border E-Commerce and Marketplace Operators
While the panel focused on Indian D2C brands, the insights are directly relevant to cross-border sellers and marketplace operators who rely on paid channels to reach international buyers. The shift toward retention-first GTM suggests that sellers should invest in customer loyalty programs and repeat-purchase mechanics rather than one-time discounts. Similarly, marketplace operators can consider offering analytics that help sellers evaluate influencer partnerships by engagement quality and geo-relevance, rather than raw follower counts. The emphasis on in-house creator ecosystems may also apply to cross-border contexts where local agencies may lack nuanced understanding of target markets. As attention costs continue to rise globally, the principles outlined at the summit—product differentiation, retention-led acquisition, and data-driven influencer evaluation—are becoming universal benchmarks for digital commerce success.
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