India, Aug. 19 -- Online-first skincare brand Dot & Key waited until it had reached Rs.250 Cr to Rs.300 Cr in revenue and established category leadership online before expanding into offline retail, according to cofounder and CEO Suyash Saraf.

Speaking at Inc42's 'The D2C & Retail Summit 2026', Saraf said establishing consumer demand and brand recall online was essential before the company could justify investing in offline distribution.

"Building mental availability before going offline is critical," Saraf said during a panel discussion titled 'The Distribution Reset: Winning Shelf, Search & Speed'.

The discussion was moderated by Clovia founder and CEO Pankaj Vermani and also featured Nothing cofounder and India president Akis Evange...