Logistics woes: D2C brands call out shipping aggregators
Many direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands in India are running into big headaches with their shipping partners—think late deliveries, random returns, and even oversized packaging.
Founders like Jeevika Tyagi (aastey) and Yajurv Gupta (AYA'S Jewellery) have called out issues like fake delivery attempts and weight mix-ups that eat into their profits.
A lot of this gets blamed on "dark patterns," where shipping aggregators seem to care more about their bottom line than actually helping brands grow.
Last-mile delivery issues add to the mess
Smaller brands often get left behind as aggregators focus on bigger clients, turning logistics from a growth booster into a major pain point.
On top of that, inconsistent last-mile delivery just adds to the mess.
Some companies, like Velocity with its new Shipfast service, are trying to bring more transparency to the process.
But if these problems stick around, they could slow down India's booming e-commerce scene—which is expected to hit $170-190 billion by 2030 according to Bain & Co. and Flipkart.