India, Aug. 10 -- India's retail story has moved past the old online-versus-offline debate. The new contest is over control - who owns the shelf, the search result, the delivery promise, the customer relationship and the margin.

Quick commerce has rewritten consumer expectations. AI is beginning to reshape operations, discovery, retention and demand planning. Investors are asking harder questions on capital efficiency before writing the next cheque. The D2C boom is no longer just a story of digital-first brands chasing scale; it has matured into a structural reset in how India buys, sells and builds consumer brands.

Inc42 has tracked this shift since before it had a name - through deep industry coverage, news, features, founder-led conv...