India’s FMCG and retail landscape continues to evolve rapidly marked by sharper segmentation, digital acceleration, and smarter supply chains. Major FMCG players are moving beyond the broad “many Indias” approach to build micro-cohorts, tailoring products and channels for Gen Z, senior consumers, and niche categories like baby care. Meanwhile, retail inflation is expected to hit a ten-year low of 0.48% in October, driven by easing food prices and a high base effect.
Technology is transforming retail at every level, from Coca-Cola’s AI-powered “Coke Buddy” app turning kirana stores into smart retail hubs, to B2B platforms like Kiko Live and VilCart enabling faster distribution and empowering rural consumers. On the consumer side, food costs have moderated, with Crisil reporting a 12–17% fall in thali prices year-on-year. Together, these developments reflect a retail economy that’s becoming leaner, faster, and more inclusive, built for both the next billion and the next decade.
Click on the headings below for insights on how these trends are shaping India’s retail landscape…
Large FMCG players in India are shifting focus from broad “many Indias” strategies to micro-segmentation—building multiple distinct consumer cohorts (e.g., Gen Z, 45+, specialised baby care) and tailoring products, channels and supply chains accordingly. Speed, agility and mass-personalisation are now the differentiators.
2. India's retail inflation likely fell to multi-year low of 0.48% in October: Reuters poll
India’s retail inflation rate likely fell to its lowest level in at least ten years in October, driven by a sharp drop in food prices and a high base effect from last year, according to a Reuters poll of economists. The survey, conducted between November 4 and 7 among 42 economists, projected consumer price index (CPI) inflation at 0.48% for October, down from 1.54% in September — the lowest since the current 2012-base CPI series began in 2015.
3. Coke Buddy Turns India's Corner Stores into Smart Retail Hubs
Coke Buddy, the AI-enabled ordering platform launched by Coca‑Cola India, is transforming neighbourhood kirana stores into smart retail hubs. It lets store-owners place orders anytime, access real-time pricing + promotions, receive AI-based product-suggestions and track deliveries — boosting efficiency and availability across India’s small-store retail network.
4. Kiko Live launches 24-hour FMCG distribution platform for kirana retailers
Kiko Live has launched a B2B quick-commerce platform to revolutionize FMCG distribution in India. The platform aims to slash delivery times from seven days to 24 hours by enabling Kirana stores to order directly from brands. This initiative seeks to unlock significant efficiency gains in the country's vast FMCG market.
5. Per plate food cost in India moderated in October as overall inflation cools
Costs of home-cooked vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis declined 17 per cent and 12 per cent year-on-year in October, respectively, primarily because of a steep decline in the prices of vegetables and pulses, according to Crisil Intelligence's latest Roti Rice Rate (RRR) report.
6. VilCart launches rural B2B2C app to empower kirana-led consumers
VilCart has launched a B2B2C app connecting rural households directly with their local kirana stores, verified sellers and brands via its existing supply-chain network. The platform offers a multi-language interface, rural-specific products, kirana-led fulfilment and competitive pricing—aimed at digitising and empowering village retail ecosystems.