HiveMinds Ecommerce Conclave highlights the ‘Great Digital Shift’ in commerce landscape

HiveMinds, part of the Madison World Group, hosted the 2026 edition of its flagship Ecommerce Conclave, bringing together leaders across brands, platforms, and the investor ecosystem to decode the next phase of India’s digital commerce growth.

Opening the conclave, Sam Balsara, Founder, Madison World, highlighted the scale and acceleration of ecommerce in India, noting that the category has expanded significantly beyond initial expectations and is no longer limited to metro markets.

“Ecommerce has grown much bigger and much more interesting… and is not restricted only to the top metros,” he said, setting the tone for the day’s discussions.

With a packed audience of decision-makers, the conclave focused on a defining industry shift: “The Great Digital Shift: Beyond Clicks, Building Brands.”

India’s Consumption Story is Entering a Structural Reset

The keynote established the macro context, highlighting the scale and structural evolution of India’s consumption economy.

“The question is no longer about will consumption grow… the question is what will be the shape of that consumption,” said Adarsh Menon, Partner at Fireside Ventures.

As India moves from an investment-led to a consumption-led economy, multiple forces, including digital infrastructure, access, and rising aspiration, are reshaping how and where demand is created.

Commerce is Being Redefined Across Discovery, Trust and Growth

Across discussions, a unified theme emerged: consumer journeys are no longer linear, and brands must adapt to a fluid, always-on ecosystem.

The traditional funnel is undergoing a fundamental transformation.

“The funnel… is dead, dying, terminally ill… depending on the product,” said Satya Raghavan, Director, Marketing Partners, Google India, reflecting how consumer journeys now vary significantly across categories.

Discovery itself is evolving rapidly, particularly in categories like BFSI. “Discovery has moved from keywords to content,” was a key observation during the BFSI discussion, as brands increasingly engage consumers across multiple platforms and moments.

Bringing in a product and platform perspective, Vaibhav Kumar, Head – Products & Ecommerce, Axis Max Life Insurance, highlighted the shift toward embedded discovery: “Discovery is essentially part of an embedded experience, as part of a transaction moment that the consumer is in.”

He further emphasized the importance of customer-centricity in driving growth:

“Brands that are winning are not the ones which are loudest, but listen to the consumer hardest.”

This shift toward contextual discovery is complemented by the growing role of content and creators. As discussed, creators are no longer limited to amplification but are increasingly shaping aspiration, discovery, and trust, especially across emerging consumer cohorts.

At the same time, quick commerce is redefining consumption behaviour. “50% is planned demand, but 50% is impulse,” noted Ishan Chawla, Head of Sales – Zepto Ads, highlighting how platforms are simultaneously fulfilling and creating demand.

This compression of decision-making is also forcing brands to rethink their role beyond visibility.

“Volume growth without value to the consumer is vanity,” said Abhishek Shetty, Marketing Head – Swiggy Instamart & Private Brands, emphasizing the need to focus on meaningful demand.

As brands scale, retention and long-term value are becoming critical.

“Customer retention is the causality… if you have great retention, you will have lower CAC,” observed Chinmay Katdare, Partner at Epiq Capital.

 

HiveMinds Playbook Captures the Shift from Performance to Brand Building

A key highlight of the conclave was the launch of the latest edition of the HiveMinds Ecommerce Playbook, which synthesizes insights, frameworks, and strategies from across the ecosystem.

“This year we are not talking about a small change… this year the change is big. That’s why we called it the great digital shift,” said Deepti Bhadauria, CEO, HiveMinds.

The playbook outlines the transition from performance-driven marketing to a more integrated approach that combines data, personalization, and storytelling.