Culture x D2C

Hey readers,

Welcome to the second edition of D2C Cents!

This edition? We talk about:

• Breaking down the Labubu craze

• The sharpest D2C news that matters

Let’s get into it.

Have you heard of Labubu dolls?

Whether it’s Ananya Pandey’s handbag or Rihanna’s airport look, Labubus are everywhere.

And in case you do not know - Imagine a cross between Annabelle, a sugar rush, and K-pop.

Why the craze? Most of us know that.

It delivers a potent mix of a Blind box thrill, nostalgia, limited drops and of course celebrity influence.

But the real question? 

Why are people queuing up to buy 10 versions of the same plastic toy they don’t even use?

Simply because Labubu taps into the holy grail intersection of hype culture, consumer tribalism, and gamified commerce.

Heavy words huh? Let’s simplify this and understand how it even beats pure performance marketing:

Consumer tribalism: Why people buy to belong

Products like Labubu, Stanley tumblers, and Lululemon leggings aren’t just purchases.

They’re tribal markers. Signals of who you are and which group you belong to.

People post “Stanley hauls.” Wait for new collabs. They don’t want one. They want it all.

Walk into any premium yoga studio and you’ll see lululemon as uniform.

This is identity commerce. People use what they wear, carry, eat, or post as a way to say: “I belong to this kind of world.”

And Labubu Blind Boxes - A masterclass in gamified inventory movement.

You don’t buy one. You buy many - chasing the full set.

Blind-box = surprise = repeat purchase. It’s part dopamine hit, part collectible FOMO.

Result? Revenue jumps. Working capital improves. Stale inventory and discounts come down.

And the Labubu fans? They track drops, attend community events, trade toys, create content and even host Labubu fashion shows!

They act as active distribution and feedback engines. And at zero cost!

What Labubu, Lululemon, and Stanley really cracked is making ownership feel like access:

A golden opportunity for Indian D2C founders

India’s aesthetic economy is opening up. People don’t just want products.

They want membership and access.

And for that, our brands need to be more bold. Drop limited editions.

Give more creative freedom to their content teams. Try to create identity cues that make customers feel like a tribe.

And here's the math that matters:

Referred customers cost ₹1,700 less to acquire and stick around 37% longer. They spend 25% more in their first year and become unpaid advocates who bring in even more customers.

Consumer tribalism delivers 2-5X better returns than pure performance marketing. A win-win situation.

A few Indian brands that have caught our attention:

The pattern? Each brand identified a shared frustration, gave it a name, and built a tribe around solving it together.

Personality sells. Trust sells.

If your D2C GTM gets either one of these right, you’re already ahead.

See you next edition - same time, sharper insights.

Until then, reply and tell us what you’re building.
Abhishek