DELIVER Asia 2026 Conference Recordings

For many digital-first brands, scaling into offline retail represents a major operational shift.

At DELIVER Asia 2026 in Singapore, Anirudh Likhite, SVP – Supply Chain & Procurement at Pilgrim, shared the lessons learned from transforming a direct-to-consumer brand into a fully integrated omnichannel business.

Pilgrim, a fast-growing Indian beauty and personal care brand, has expanded rapidly in recent years, growing from approximately $8 million in revenue in 2023 to around $65 million in 2026. This growth was supported by a strategic move into offline retail distribution — a transition that introduced significant supply chain challenges.

The decision to expand into offline channels was driven by the structure of the Indian beauty and personal care market.

While eCommerce has grown significantly, it still represents only a small portion of total sales. Approximately 90 percent of the market remains offline, with only around 10 percent coming from digital channels.

Even within offline retail, the majority of sales take place through unorganised trade, including small independent retailers and local distributors.

For brands like Pilgrim, this meant building a supply chain capable of reaching thousands of fragmented retail locations across the country.

Unlike direct-to-consumer fulfilment, offline retail involves multiple layers of distribution.

Products typically move through a chain of warehouse → distributor → wholesaler → retailer → consumer, with inventory stored at several points along the way.

This structure introduces challenges that are far less common in eCommerce, including:

• Higher inventory holding across multiple nodes

• Limited visibility into downstream stock levels

• Fragmented demand signals from smaller retailers

• Regional logistics and distribution constraints

As a result, forecasting demand and positioning inventory becomes significantly more complex.

One of the first challenges Pilgrim encountered when entering offline retail was packaging.

Products designed for eCommerce did not always perform well on physical retail shelves or within complex distribution networks.

The company redesigned its packaging architecture to improve visibility and durability. This included:

• Stronger colour contrast and clearer product messaging

• A consistent brand colour to improve shelf recognition

• Packaging formats aligned with industry standards

• Improved durability to withstand multi-stage distribution

These changes helped increase brand visibility while ensuring products could survive longer supply chains.

Offline distribution networks also introduced new operational requirements.

Products needed to move efficiently through distributors and retailers, often in smaller order quantities and across diverse regional markets.

To support this, Pilgrim restructured its shipping and logistics approach, including:

• Smaller, easier-to-handle case sizes

• Internal carton partitions to protect products

• Stronger packaging materials for long-distance transport

• Clear product identification and tamper-proof packaging

The company also implemented a more structured transport management approach to coordinate deliveries across different distribution partners and retail channels.

Demand forecasting became another major focus as Pilgrim expanded offline.

Unlike online marketplaces, which offer real-time demand visibility and predictive analytics, offline retail data can be fragmented and delayed.

To manage this complexity, Pilgrim introduced a structured Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process, combining inputs from national and regional teams with detailed catalogue planning.

This cross-functional approach allowed the company to continuously refine demand forecasts, adjust inventory positioning, and manage SKU performance across multiple channels.

Ultimately, Pilgrim’s experience highlights that moving from D2C to omnichannel retail requires more than simply expanding distribution.

It requires rethinking packaging, logistics, planning, and operational processes to support a far more complex supply chain environment.

By combining strong operational discipline with close collaboration across partners, Pilgrim has been able to build a supply chain that supports rapid growth while maintaining agility across both online and offline channels.