From D2C to D2AI: How agentic AI is helping India’s brands outrun the world

The Indian D2C ecosystem, currently pegged at around $30 billion and projected to surpass $60 billion by 2027 according to Bain & Company, has been on an unstoppable trajectory. But as every founder on Shark Tank repeats like a mantra, scale isn’t just about logistics and funding. No, it’s about owning the consumer relationship. Enter agentic AI, the new battleground for brand love, hyper-personalization, and operational sanity.

With Bessemer predicting India’s digital economy to cross $1 trillion by 2030, the country’s D2C brands are staring at a moment where skipping entire evolutionary stages might just be possible. Rather than inching through loyalty cards and email drips, brands can leapfrog directly to smart AI agents that speak, recommend, nudge, and even argue like an old-school salesperson at your local kirana store.

Look who’s Talking

While global players like OpenAI and Google dominate headlines, India is quietly building its own arsenal of homegrown AI tools ready to fuel this leap. From Ola’s Krutrim powering its newly launched multilingual agent ‘Kruti,’ to Jio’s Haptik automating customer interactions across telecom and banking, the ecosystem is buzzing.

Prashin Jhobalia, CMO of House of Hiranandani, sees this as less of a tech upgrade and more of a cultural rewrite. “Indian brands have undergone significant transformation over the past few years, especially in the wake of the pandemic. Among the most noteworthy shifts is the growing integration of agentic AI into marketing and customer experience functions — a development that signals a major digital evolution across sectors,” he says. In real estate, a sector not exactly known for its digital agility, there’s a cautious optimism.

Jhobalia shares that at House of Hiranandani, bots are now embedded into pre-sales operations, offering 24/7 conversational support that would make most family WhatsApp groups look sluggish. While the sector still wrestles with integrating AI into legacy systems and fragmented data, the potential to blend automated interactions with deeply personal purchase decisions could reshape the entire buying journey. The challenge? Balancing automation with the emotional weight of buying a home, all while preserving consumer trust.

While the real estate folks are easing into this AI makeover, the D2C crowd is both excited and overwhelmed. Vinay Tamboli, CEO at DataQuark, LS Digital, drops a reality check: “About 80 percent of businesses in India are actively exploring the development of autonomous agents like agentic AI, but the adoption is still in its nascent stage.”

He points out that most D2C companies are still stuck in survival mode, namely, juggling revenue growth, improving unit economics, and eking out repeat purchases in a crowded market. The AI experiments so far have largely stayed within performance marketing and customer support, including chatbots or GPT-based recommendation engines.

Cult.fit is one of the few that has broken this mould, integrating AI into personalized workout plans, nutrition advice, and retention nudges, turning its app into something eerily close to a personal trainer with no off days. Skincare brand Plum has followed suit with AI-based routines and product suggestions tailored to skin types and concerns, an example of using tech not just for scale but for genuine customer delight.

Tamboli underlines that the big leap won’t happen overnight. “We estimate it will take at least 12–24 months before agentic AI becomes mainstream in this space,” he says. He also points to the issue of fragmented data. D2C brands operate across marketplaces, their own platforms, and even offline retail footprints, creating a glorious mess of customer signals. Yet, there is an unmistakable shift in mindset. “More founders, marketers, and even mid-sized teams are actively considering AI to be a core enabler and not just a tech add-on,” he notes.

This change is what could eventually turbocharge India's consumer experience from bland drip campaigns to real-time, intelligent nudges that actually feel like they were designed for each person, not just a demographic blob.

Tushar Dhawan, Partner at Plus91Labs, says that with everything evolving, dashboards can no longer be static and should work like intelligent decision-making engines, fuelled by automation. 

“In today’s environment, traditional CRM is simply not enough as the future belongs to companies that treat AI as a digital co-pilot. It needs to be embedded across every business and customer touchpoint, enabling faster decisions, deeper engagement and truly scalable growth,” he says.

Priyanka Kulkarni, Manager - Growth advisory Aranca points out that Indian consumers are considered remarkably open to AI-driven personalization, “with a large share exhibiting willingness to use AI for better purchase decisions and trusting AI for tailored deals, outpacing global averages. So, the real opportunity lies in taking advantage of India’s ambient commerce revolution: AI is now enabling brands to meet consumers “in the moment.” This passive, always-on engagement is unlocking new conversion windows and driving impulse purchases, far beyond traditional e-commerce models.”

She adds that Indian D2C brands are leveraging generative AI to create region-specific content, AR try-ons, and vernacular chatbots, making every interaction feel culturally relevant and personal—even in Tier 2/3 cities. Voice commerce in local languages is enabling expansion of the digital economy’s reach.

The momentum is undeniable. India’s internet user base is nearing 950 million, with a sharp increase in rural digital adoption and an estimated 150 million online-first consumers actively engaging with D2C brands.

Listening In

However, Seethala Karipineni, founder of Saka Organics, brings a sobering perspective from the front lines of smaller, craft-driven brands. “While adoption is still early-stage, I think Indian D2C brands are becoming increasingly open to experimenting with agentic AI — especially newer, digital-first brands that are already comfortable with automation tools,” she says.

For Karipineni, the magic of agentic AI lies in backend efficiency — automating content generation, customer support, and even A/B testing campaigns. However, the biggest barrier is nuance. India isn’t just a large market; it’s a labyrinth of languages, cultures, skin types, hair textures, and shopping habits. “Personalization in India can’t be shallow,” she cautions.

The risk? Shiny AI journeys that end up feeling robotic, soulless, and disconnected from the brand’s craft story. Yet, she admits the scale potential is a “game-changer,” allowing tiny teams to deliver big-brand levels of intimacy and engagement.

Startups like Yellow.ai and Gnani.ai are crafting conversational and voice AI solutions tailored to India’s linguistic diversity, while Uniphore decodes real-time sentiment for call centers and sales teams. Rephrase.ai is enabling brands like Cadbury to create hyper-personalized video messages at scale, making AI feel intimate rather than mechanical. Skit.ai (formerly Vernacular.ai) is tackling voice-based automation in sectors like banking and insurance, and Lokal.ai is building hyperlocal engagement tools for vernacular audiences.

Vishal Prabhu, Creative Controller at White Rivers Media, has a clear view of where the magic and the minefields lie. “Most Indian D2C brands are just getting started with AI. A few have begun experimenting, but widespread adoption and readiness will take time,” he says. Rising acquisition costs and consumer impatience for generic messaging are pushing brands toward real-time, personalized interactions.

Prabhu also highlights a core weakness: the lack of strong first-party data ecosystems. Without clean, rich data, even the most advanced AI setup is just an expensive toy that churns out irrelevant recommendations. Authenticity, he argues, will be the defining metric. The ultimate win isn’t just technological; it’s making every customer feel like a VIP without losing the human warmth.

The rise of homegrown AI tools signals a future where conversational agents don’t just answer questions, but sell, support, and even shape brand personalities. With the government’s upcoming Digital India Act expected to include guidelines for AI deployment and data privacy, this is not just an innovation sprint; it’s an ecosystem transformation.