The traffic reality is grim for generic informational content: AI Overviews reduce organic CTR for the #1 result by ~58% on informational queries (Ahrefs, Dec 2025). Position-one CTR for AI-Overview keywords fell from 0.073 to 0.016 between Dec 2023 and Dec 2025. Seer Interactive (Sept 2025): organic CTR on AIO queries fell ~61% (1.76% → 0.61%). Pew Research (July 22, 2025), analyzing 68,879 searches from 900 US adults, found: "Users who encountered an AI summary clicked on a

By Saurav | sauravdoesmarketing.com Every D2C founder I talk to is asking the same question: Meta CPMs keep rising, Google is getting more expensive, and everyone's talking about OTT. So where should the money actually go? Here's an honest breakdown — not the "use all channels" non-answer, but what actually makes sense based on where each platform sits in the funnel and what it costs to be there. The State of Meta and Google Right Now Meta CPMs for D2C brands in India rose 22

What they are searching to find this: "How to measure brand health 2026" "Predicting market share using search data" "Competitive intelligence tools for marketing managers" As a Marketing Manager, you are likely comfortable with your own Google Analytics. But your internal data only tells you what your customers are doing. To lead your category, you need to know what the entire market is doing. The most powerful tool for this isn't a high-priced enterprise platform—it’s the

Most marketers open Ads Manager first.I open Google Trends. Before I write a single ad copy.Before I decide targeting.Before I say yes to a client.Before I even believe the product has demand. I want to know one thing: Are people actually searching for this? Because marketing cannot create gravity out of thin air. It can amplify momentum. It can redirect attention. But if nobody cares, no amount of “high-converting creatives” will save the campaign. That’s why Google Trends h

The Milkman Knew It First Your milkman has been running India's most successful subscription business for decades. Every morning, milk appears at your door. At the end of the month, he shows up with his notebook, and you pay. No apps, no reminders, no friction. It works because it's simple, predictable, and built into your routine. The milk never stops coming, and you never forget to pay—it's just part of life. We're Already Wired for This We've normalized ₹15,000 for a phone

A Sunday Morning Revelation Last Sunday, I found myself at Jaivik Setu in Indore—a tranquil oasis that's been championing organic living since 2014. What started as a simple farmers' market visit turned into a deep dive into India's organic movement. As I walked through their superstore, I encountered brands I'd never heard of: Slurrp Farm, Juicy Chemistry, Beco, The Whole Truth Foods, and dozens more. This wasn't just another retail space. This was ground zero for a revolut

November 17, 2025 | By Saurav Listen, if you're running a premium D2C brand targeting Indian consumers on Shopify, November 2025 is either your best month this year or a wake-up call. The Indian market just hit some major inflection points, and most founders are completely missing them. Here's what's actually happening in your market right now—with data that matters for your bottom line. The UPI Revolution Hit Critical Mass (And It Changes Everything) Let's start with the mo

A data-driven analysis of how a Taiwanese manufacturer built global dominance in commercial bakery equipment The Jaliwala Encounter: Where This Analysis Began In Indore, at Jaliwala Innovations (a commercial kitchen equipment distributor operating since 2000 with 3000+ retail outlets across 70 Indian cities), I observed a fascinating sales interaction. The pitch for Sinmag bakery equipment relied on a crucial misattribution: calling it a "Japanese brand" to leverage Japan's

In August 2025, Bollywood actor Bhumi Pednekar and her sister Samiksha launched BackBay — a premium packaged water brand priced at ₹150 to ₹200 per bottle. Most people's reaction: who pays ₹150 for water? But that reaction misses what BackBay is actually trying to do — and why it's a fascinating marketing case study for anyone building a premium brand in India. The Bet: Can India Support Premium Water? India's packaged water market is dominated by brands like Bisleri, Kinley,

So I was watching Nikhil Kamath's podcast the other day, and I couldn't help but notice the shoes he was wearing. You know that feeling when you see something and can just tell it's quality? Even through a screen. I searched it up— Cuero . And honestly, my marketer brain went straight into analysis mode. My immediate thought? If they've reached someone like Nikhil Kamath, they're probably crushing it with performance marketing. Lakhs on ad spend. Scaling hard. Content machine

What Performance Marketers Can Learn from Brands Like Banjaran, Good Earth, and Anita Dongre I recently went down a rabbit hole exploring luxury handicraft brands in India—brands like Banjaran that blend art, craftsmanship, and lifestyle into something truly unique. What I discovered isn't just fascinating from a cultural perspective; it's a masterclass in building defensible, profitable luxury brands in the e-commerce era. If you're marketing luxury brands on Shopify (like I

Here's what's actually happening with D2C automation in India—the messy, practical truth from brands selling on Shopify. WhatsApp Automation for D2C: Where Every Brand Starts 40% of customer queries are people asking "Where's my order?" That's data from Flowhippo, and that's why WhatsApp automation is where most Indian D2C brands begin. Not because it's sexy, but because answering the same question 50 times a day is exhausting. What Brands Actually Send via WhatsApp Order co

A brand selling ₹12,000 sarees asks me: is 2x ROAS good? A brand selling ₹800 t-shirts asks me the same question. The answer for both is completely different — and that's the whole problem with how ROAS gets discussed in Indian D2C circles. If you're selling premium fashion in India — ₹5,000 to ₹25,000 per order — here's what ROAS actually means for your business, and what numbers you should actually be targeting. Why ROAS Benchmarks From the West Don't Apply to You Most ROAS

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