DealShare's Strategic Shift from B2B to Consumer-Facing Retail Model
Over the past two years, DealShare has undergone multiple strategic pivots in an effort to sustain what was becoming an unsustainable business model. The company, once valued at over $1 billion, is now making a bold transition from its business-to-business roots to a consumer-facing value retail approach. This move places it in direct competition with established retail giants and agile quick-commerce players, leaving little room for error in execution.
The New Consumer-Focused Strategy
DealShare's chief executive Kamaldeep Singh revealed that the company is betting on value retail anchored by private labels, aggressive pricing, and two-hour deliveries. The Tiger Global-backed startup plans to scale its retail operations beyond its core markets of Jaipur and Kolkata by investing significantly in building out its supply chain and distribution network in neighboring cities.
"Our approach for the next few months is to deepen our presence in our strong markets, strengthen supply chains, and densify distribution networks, and move to congruent cities in Rajasthan, West Bengal, and parts of Uttar Pradesh such as Kanpur, Allahabad, and Lucknow," Singh explained in an interview.
However, this expansion is unlikely to be swift. DealShare is carefully unwinding its B2B operating capabilities while simultaneously building a consumer-facing playbook from scratch. This transition requires devising region-specific strategies to keep pace with constantly shifting consumer behavior patterns across different Indian markets.
Navigating a Crowded Retail Landscape
The pivot places DealShare in one of the most competitive retail environments India has seen. On one front, it now faces the scale and cost discipline of established players like DMart (Avenue Supermarts Ltd), Vishal Mega Mart, and Reliance Retail's quick-commerce venture JioMart. These competitors are rapidly shortening fulfillment timelines and expanding delivery radius in urban areas.
On another front, DealShare must compete with speed-led expectations shaped by quick-commerce specialists such as Blinkit, Zepto, and InstaMart, which are increasingly making inroads into tier-II and tier-III cities.
"This is one of the most crowded phases value retail in India has seen," observed Madhur Singhal, managing partner and CEO at management consulting firm Praxis Global Alliance. "With organized value players scaling up and quick-commerce platforms blurring the lines between convenience and price, new entrants face shrinking room for error. Differentiation today is less about discounts and more about supply-chain discipline and hyperlocal execution."
The Private Label Advantage and Challenges
DealShare's consumer pivot is closely tied to the expansion of its private-label portfolio, which the company believes is central to making the economics work. The firm owns nearly a dozen in-house brands across staples and personal care, including Chemko (home care), Sampoorti (staples), Home First (home and kitchen), and X One (personal care).
This private label strategy allows DealShare to control pricing, margins, and supply far more tightly than a marketplace-led model would permit. Private brands currently account for nearly a fourth of the firm's revenue, and the company plans to invest more in these labels while expanding product variants in each category.
"In our strongest markets, we plan to invest more in private labels as well as expand the number of variants in each category. The idea is to provide good-quality products to customers at a reasonable price," Singh noted. "We are seeing a very good response to our private brands because the customers that we are serving are value-conscious and aspirational."
However, this strategy raises execution risks, as private labels demand scale, consistent quality, and sustained consumer trust to compete with entrenched national brands. According to Praxis's Singhal, private labels become meaningfully value-accretive in B2C only after brand-led repeat behavior stabilizes, which may take considerable time to reflect in financial results.
Leadership Changes and Financial Context
The strategic shifts have been accompanied by significant leadership changes. Singh's appointment in early 2024 reflects the company's attempt to lean on seasoned retail leadership. A former CEO of Big Bazaar, he was brought in after DealShare's co-founders, Vineet Bora and Sankar Bora, stepped down in November 2023 amid restructuring, job cuts, and rising investor scrutiny.
The firm's third co-founder, Sourjyendu Medda, exited in January 2024, while the fourth co-founder, Rajat Shikhar, left in December 2025, marking a decisive break from the company's founding chapter.
Financially, DealShare has raised nearly $400 million to date from backers including Tiger Global Management, AlphaWave Global, and Unilever Ventures. It was last valued at $1.7 billion in January 2022 following a $45 million extended Series E fundraising from Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
In 2023-24, the firm's operating revenue plunged 75% year-on-year to ₹500 crore, while it managed to cut losses to ₹167 crore from ₹502 crore a year ago. The pivots followed the realization that enterprise e-commerce is an inherently challenging proposition to scale, given its narrow margins and credit-heavy nature.
"It was clear [by 2023] that B2B is not a model built to scale profitably," Singh acknowledged, highlighting the fundamental shift in the company's strategic direction.
Market Context and Future Outlook
India's quick-commerce market presents both opportunity and challenge for DealShare's new direction. According to a July report by CareEdge Ratings, the market is set to triple in size from an estimated ₹64,000 crore in 2024-25 to around ₹2 trillion by 2027-28.
However, shifting from B2B to a consumer-facing model presents structural difficulties, even though it appears operationally adjacent. B2B models aggregate relatively predictable demand, whereas B2C models must continuously stimulate consumer demand—resulting in higher customer acquisition costs and greater volatility.
Singh remains optimistic about the company's prospects, noting that DealShare's assortment of private labels has already carved an impact from its B2B days and has the potential to influence its B2C business. "Pricing strategies can be reworked based on consumption habits, helping us offer better value for premium products and at the same time safeguard our margins," he explained.
As DealShare navigates this critical transition, the company faces the dual challenge of building consumer trust while competing against well-established players in a rapidly evolving retail landscape. The success of its private label strategy and execution capabilities in tier-II and tier-III cities will likely determine whether this risky reset can position DealShare as a sustainable player in India's value retail segment.
