DRAFT SKELETON — needs an actual data pull before publishing. This is the highest-leverage piece in this batch (original data = link-worthy, citable, AEO-friendly). Needs an aggregated, anonymized pull across the account base, by category and spend band. Every [bracketed] range below needs a real number. Do not publish with placeholders.
Why this exists
Most published D2C benchmarks are US or global, and don't reflect Indian market realities (COD mix, RTO, festival seasonality, platform cost differences). This report exists to fill that specific gap using our own account base, which spans dozens of D2C brands across fashion, accessories, and lifestyle operating specifically in the Indian market, with meaningful presence in Australia and the US as well.
Why original benchmark data matters more than it might seem
A benchmark report like this competes for citations and links against almost nothing else, since original, category-specific data from a real portfolio of accounts is genuinely scarce, particularly for the India-specific context. Most content on D2C benchmarks is either generic global advice repackaged, or a single brand's anecdotal experience presented as if it generalizes. A report built on aggregated data across a real, sizeable account base sits in a different category entirely, and that scarcity is exactly what makes it valuable for both traditional SEO backlink acquisition and for AEO citation by answer engines synthesizing responses to benchmark-related queries.
Methodology
[State clearly: number of accounts, date range, categories represented, how anonymization works (no brand names, aggregated ranges not individual figures), what's excluded (e.g. accounts under X months of data). Also note any limitations transparently, e.g. skew toward fashion and accessories given the account base composition, which should be disclosed rather than presented as a fully representative cross-category sample.]
CAC by category
| Category | Median CAC (Rs) | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Fashion | [X] | [X–X] |
| Accessories | [X] | [X–X] |
| Lifestyle | [X] | [X–X] |
Acquisition MER by category and spend band
[Table: category x spend band (under Rs X lakh/mo, Rs X–X lakh/mo, above Rs X lakh/mo), median acquisition MER for each. Note whether acquisition MER trends up or down as spend band increases within each category, and any hypothesis for why, e.g. larger-spend accounts having more mature measurement setups versus facing more audience saturation.]
Contribution margin after RTO/returns adjustment, by category
[Table: category, average gross margin, average RTO-adjusted contribution margin, the gap between them. This is likely the single most differentiated data point in the report, since almost no published benchmark work adjusts explicitly for RTO the way this one does.]
COD vs prepaid mix and its effect on realized ROAS
[Chart or table: COD % of orders vs realized (RTO-adjusted) ROAS, showing the relationship. Where possible, note whether the relationship is roughly linear or whether there's a specific COD-mix threshold beyond which realized ROAS drops off more sharply.]
What moved year over year
[Compare against a prior internal pull if available, or against the CAC rising post already on this blog, which cited a 35% YoY increase. Frame this section around directional trends the portfolio has observed, rather than presenting single-year snapshots as if they're stable long-term benchmarks.]
How different this data looks from commonly cited global benchmarks
[Add a short section directly contrasting one or two of the numbers above against commonly cited global D2C benchmark figures, making explicit why the India-specific numbers diverge, e.g. RTO's effect on realized ROAS, COD prevalence, festival seasonality's effect on CAC. This section is what makes the report genuinely useful to a reader who's only ever seen generic global numbers and has been quietly misapplying them.]
How to use this
These are directional ranges from our own portfolio, not universal truths. Use them to sanity-check whether your own numbers are healthy for your category and spend band, not as a target to hit exactly, since every brand's specific product mix, customer base, and operational maturity will shift these numbers somewhat in either direction.
FAQ
How often will this report be updated? [State cadence — recommend quarterly or biannual to keep it citable and fresh, which also matters for AEO per the AEO post on this blog.]
Can I see where my brand falls against these benchmarks? [CTA — point to profitability review / audit offer.]
Why does this report adjust for RTO when most benchmark reports don't? Because RTO materially changes realized performance in the Indian market specifically, in a way that gross, unadjusted benchmarks simply don't capture, and presenting unadjusted numbers as if they reflect real business outcomes would make the report actively misleading for the market it's meant to serve.
Is this data representative of all D2C categories, or skewed toward the categories in the account base? [Insert once available — be transparent about the actual category composition of the underlying account base rather than implying broader representativeness than the data supports.]
How should a brand outside the fashion, accessories, and lifestyle categories use this report? [Insert once available — the general framework (RTO adjustment, acquisition-versus-blended splits, COD mix effects) likely transfers directionally to adjacent categories even if the specific numeric benchmarks don't, and this caveat is worth stating explicitly.]
Want to see where your own account falls against these benchmarks? Run the numbers with our calculators.