We are officially two weeks away from the 2026 festive sale season — and for ecommerce brands and sellers, the question is no longer just “Are you ready for Diwali?”

It’s “What role should every channel play in your festive ecommerce strategy?”

In this episode of eCommerce, Clearly, we break down how brands can approach the upcoming Diwali 2026 sales season across Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa, quick-commerce platforms and their own D2C websites.

We discuss why marketplaces can be powerful customer acquisition channels during Diwali, how brands should think about inventory, pricing, product assortment and profitability across different platforms, and whether your D2C website should actually run the same Diwali sale as Amazon and Flipkart.

We also dive into the growing role of quick commerce during the festive season and why platforms such as Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart can require a very different strategy from traditional marketplaces.

One of the biggest questions we explore is:

Should D2C brands run their biggest sale at the same time as the major marketplace Diwali sales?

Our take: not necessarily.

Instead, brands can consider using Diwali and the major marketplace festive sales for acquisition and discovery, while giving their D2C channel its own strategic moments later in the year — such as a New Year sale, brand anniversary, birthday campaign, exclusive product launch or loyalty-focused campaign.

Because ecommerce today isn't simply about choosing between marketplaces and D2C.

It's about understanding what each channel is actually supposed to do.

In this episode, we cover:

• Diwali 2026 ecommerce strategy for sellers and D2C brands
• How to approach Amazon and Flipkart festive sales
• The role of Myntra and Nykaa during the festive season
• How quick commerce is changing festive shopping
• Marketplace vs D2C strategy during Diwali
• Whether brands should match marketplace discounts on their own websites
• Channel-specific pricing and contribution margins
• How to allocate inventory across ecommerce channels
• Choosing the right products for Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa, quick commerce and D2C
• Customer acquisition vs customer retention
• Turning festive marketplace buyers into long-term customers
• Why brands should think beyond the Diwali sale
• Building a post-Diwali D2C strategy
• New Year, anniversary and D2C-exclusive sale opportunities
• How ecommerce brands can build a multi-channel strategy instead of running the same promotion everywhere

The festive season shouldn't just be about selling more during Diwali.

It should be about using every channel strategically to acquire customers, build relationships and create repeat purchases long after the festive sale ends.

🎙️ eCommerce, Clearly — Episode 20

Topics: Diwali 2026, ecommerce strategy, festive season sales, Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Nykaa, quick commerce, Blinkit, Zepto, Swiggy Instamart, D2C, marketplace strategy, ecommerce marketing, customer acquisition, customer retention, festive ecommerce strategy India.

Over the last year, I’ve realised something about my own buying behaviour: I’ve slowly started choosing Indian D2C brands over brands I’ve used for years.

And I didn’t really plan for it to happen.

From switching from Dove to Be Nude, Oral-B to Perfora, and basic lip balms to Indie Wild, to discovering DailyObjects, Mokobara, Blablie Blue, Kica Active, Kawa, Terractive, Bodai and several other homegrown Indian brands, my “default” brands have quietly changed.

And it got me thinking: what does it actually mean when D2C brands move from being brands we discover on Instagram to brands we automatically choose?

In this episode of eCommerce, Clearly, I talk about:

• Why I’ve become more willing to experiment with Indian D2C brands
• How newer brands are replacing legacy and international brands in my own buying behaviour
• The journey from discovering a D2C brand to becoming a repeat customer
• How D2C brands have started influencing my family’s purchase decisions too
• Why Instagram and social media have completely changed brand discovery
• How Indian D2C brands are competing on product, branding, design, experience and community
• What this shift says about Make in India and the growth of India’s D2C ecosystem
• And why the biggest sign of D2C success might not be how many brands are launching—but how many are becoming our new defaults.

Because ultimately, the goal isn't:

“Please buy Indian.”

It’s:

“You have choices. And we’re one of the best ones.”

And maybe that’s when an Indian D2C brand has truly made it.

When you stop thinking of it as a “small Indian brand” and simply think:

“This is the brand I use.”

I’ve recently partnered with Creascale AI, a platform helping e-commerce brands create and scale their creative output using AI.

If you’re building or growing an e-commerce brand and constantly working on creatives, ads and content, check them out.

Use my code AMB_5D10C4F4 when you sign up to get 5% off your first month.

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If you’ve also switched from some of your old favourite brands to newer Indian D2C brands, I’d love to know what those switches have been.

Until then, keep observing.

And clearly, keep questioning your defaults.

#eCommerceClearly #IndianD2C #D2CBrands #IndianBrands #IndianStartups #MakeInIndia #D2CIndia #eCommerce #eCommerceIndia #ConsumerBehaviour #HomegrownBrands #IndianEntrepreneurs