Nishint Agrawal

Amit Agarwal has been appointed as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Croma, marking his return to a full-time leadership role after an impactful stint as a fractional CBO and marketing consultant for several high-growth digital-first and D2C brands. Over the past year, he partnered with multiple startups across consumer tech, health tech, food, baby care, and ad-tech, driving scale journeys from 1-10 and 10-100, including a health-tech startup that secured an “all-shark deal” on Shark Tank India. He also contributed as a Senior Mentor (Apostle) at T-Hub and a Mentor with IIM Raipur’s STEM program, enabling early-stage ventures to accelerate growth. With over two decades of experience, Amit Agarwal has held senior leadership roles at Viacom18 Media Private Limited, Google, Unilever, Jet Airways, and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, L.P. (GSK). At Google, he scaled the Mid-Market & SMBs Ads business to over $6B+ per quarter, while at Unilever he led global marketing for brands such as Surf Excel, Pureit, and Blueair, driving category-defining innovations and acquisitions in India, China, and beyond. His diverse experience across Croma, Viacom18, Unilever, Jet Airways, and GSK reflects his expertise in brand building, P&L leadership, global marketing, and digital transformation—making him a strong catalyst for Croma’s next phase of consumer-led growth. #AmitAgarwal #Croma #Google #Unilever #Viacom18 #JetAirways #GSK #LeadershipAppointment #MarketingLeadership #DigitalTransformation #D2Cgrowth #cxolanes #AppointmentNews

1,039

181 Comments

From Corner Stores to Category Leaders: How Zithara.AI is Reimagining Indian Retail In Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities across India, shopkeepers once knew every customer by face—but not by data. That was the gap. 📍That’s where Zithara.AI stepped in. Launched in 2022 without VC backing or Silicon Valley buzzwords—just a bold vision, relentless founders, and one mission: 👉 To democratize AI-powered customer intelligence for every Indian retailer. The insight? Indian retail was rich in footfalls, but poor in follow-up. No CRM. No segmentation. No structured retention. Loyalty was assumed, not engineered. So, the Zithara team built a solution from scratch: A full-stack retail CRM platform — 9 products, one unified interface. Simple enough for a paanwala to use. Smart enough for a luxury jeweller to rely on. 🚀 From pilot stores in Hyderabad to 500+ high-intent retailers across India, Zithara is now driving: ✅ 3x repeat sales via precision WhatsApp marketing ✅ 28% lift in customer retention ✅ 25% increase in acquisition through referral automation ✅ 100% lead capture from every channel — walk-ins, social, or digital ✅ True omnichannel orchestration — SMS, Email, RCS, Meta, Push, and more But this journey wasn’t just about tech. It meant winning trust in a market where pen and paper were still the CRM. Where “data” was seen as optional, not transformational. Zithara didn’t just build a platform. It built a new way for Indian retailers to think about customers — as relationships to grow, not transactions to close. 💡 The belief that carried them forward? “Solve for the user, not the investor.” No vanity dashboards. No hollow metrics. Just tangible outcomes. ⸻ In just two years, Zithara.AI has become the quiet force behind India’s smart retail revolution — powering everyone from local kiranas to national chains. Because in tomorrow’s India, even the smallest shop deserves enterprise-grade intelligence. Made in Bharat. Made for Bharat. Scaling beyond Bharat. This is just the beginning. Sridevi Reddy Varun Kashyap

408

7 Comments

Asaya raises ₹28-Cr to build state-of-the-art skincare innovation center “We’re addressing one of India’s most prevalent unsolved skincare concerns through breakthrough research and formulations created specifically for Indian skin. It is our patented MelaMe complex and clinical results that set us apart,” said Neeraj Biyani, co-founder of Asaya. Read more :- https://lnkd.in/gvPk7jfY #BeautyTech #ConsumerBrands #IndianSkinCare #SkincareInnovation #SkinScience

50

5 Comments

90% won’t believe it, but D2C brands are going to play a huge role in India’s 6.5% GDP growth next year. When we talk about India’s growth story, most people think of IT or manufacturing. But the way D2C brands are creating jobs, serving new markets, and solving India-specific problems is much bigger than just brand success. It’s part of the 6.5% GDP story. And data backs this too; D2C brands currently account for 10-15% of India's e-commerce market, valued at $87.5 billion and projected to reach $267 billion by 2030. Here’s how D2C brands are contributing towards India's 6.5% GDP growth: 1. Expanding Consumer Demand: D2C brands reach customers in tier 2 and 3 cities who were ignored by traditional retail. At STRCH, 40% of our sales come from cities that major brands don't even stock. This unlocks purchasing power that was sitting untapped. 2. Creating Jobs Across Value Chains: From fabric sourcing in Tamil Nadu to last-mile delivery in Punjab, D2C brands create jobs across the country. Digital marketers, QA teams, customer support, roles that didn’t even exist in old-school retail are now booming.. 3. Tapping Tier 2 & 3 Markets: While metros get saturated, smaller cities drive real growth. D2C brands can serve these markets profitably through direct channels, bringing quality products and economic activity to previously underserved areas. Building STRCH showed me this impact firsthand.  Our supply chain connects dozens of businesses across states, our customer base spans 200+ cities, and each order creates a ripple effect through the entire economy. The 6.5% growth will come from multiple engines working together, and D2C brands represent one of the most dynamic and scalable contributors to this target. How is your business contributing to India's economic growth? #D2C #India #Growth

81

67 Comments

Lenskart Gets SEBI Approval for ₹2,150 Crore IPO After Turning Profitable. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has given its clearance for the highly anticipated Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Lenskart, the leading Indian omnichannel eyewear company. The public issue is expected to help the company raise a substantial ₹2,150 Crore. The IPO clearance follows Lenskart’s impressive financial turnaround. Reports indicate that the company has transitioned from losses to profitability, achieving a net profit of ₹297 Crore in the Financial Year 2025 (FY25). This crucial profitability milestone is expected to significantly boost investor confidence in the offering. Lenskart's IPO will be a major test for the Indian startup ecosystem, demonstrating the market's appetite for successful, growth oriented consumer technology brands. The funds raised will likely be used for business expansion, both domestically and internationally. #LenskartIPO #SEBI #Eyewear #StartupIndia #marketing #rajapillai #branding

50

Old Stitch vs New Stitch : The Fashion Retail Face-Off.... on a lighter note ! Once upon a time in the bustling malls of Mumbai or the high streets of Cannaught Place, stood a fashion retailer who knew his customer like he knew his morning coffee ...strong, loyal, and predictable. Enter the Gen Z retailer.... hoodie on, TikTok open, and ready to disrupt “the system” before brunch bro. Let’s be honest: the battle isn’t about style it’s about survival. The experienced fashion retailer has weathered recessions, denim explosions, and even the rise and fall of cargo pants (twice). They believe in product margins, supply chain hygiene, and customers who walk into stores. They trust in footfall the way Gen Z trusts in "engagement." They still think a CRM is something that helps build loyalty not just a popup on a website. On the other hand, the Gen Z retailer doesn’t even own a cash register. Their store? A swipe-up story. Their model? Drop culture meets influencer hype. They sell out before legacy retailers finish aligning their assortment plan. But ask them about return rates, last-mile costs, or inventory holding and you might at times get a blank stare followed by “Let me check with my growth hacker bro.” The experienced retailer wins on scale, process, and predictability. The Gen Z-er wins on agility, noise, and memes. One builds brands. The other builds communities. But both are now in the same playground trying to win the same fashion-forward, budget-aware, short-attention-span consumer. In the end, the smartest player may not be the oldest or the trendiest but the one who learns fastest, fails cheapest, and adapts quickest. That’s fashion Darwinism, darling. So, who wins? The jury’s out.... But the runway is open. #RetailWars #FashionFaceOff #OldSchoolVsNewGen #RetailHumour #FashionBusiness

54

11 Comments