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For a large consumer brand, going direct-to-consumer (D2C) is not just about launching a website and selling products online. It also means deciding who will manage the infrastructure needed to fulfil those orders. Orders need to flow through the right systems, inventory needs to be positioned where demand exists, and warehouses, payment systems and logistics partners all need to exchange data and act on it in real time. On paper, it may sound straightforward, but making these moving parts work as one operating system is not a walk in the park. This is precisely the gap Stelcore has built its domestic business around. Founded in 2012 by Bharat Mandot, the company initially focused on cross-border commerce and compliance. It soon found that its enterprise customers needed an efficient operational backbone to bring together the different pieces of their D2C stack. Today, the Mumbai-based company sits between a brand’s storefront and the physical operations needed to fulfil an order. It connects the systems that capture orders and manage inventory with warehouses, logistics providers, and other operational processes, so an order can move from checkout to delivery without each part of the chain being managed separately. For logistics, Stelcore works with Blue Dart and Shiprocket. However, its services go beyond simply moving packages from one place to another. It acts as the layer that coordinates the wider fulfilment operation and positions itself as more than a traditional third-party logistics (3PL) provider. Today, Stelcore processes nearly 1.5 Mn orders per month across its network and supports more than 300 clients in India. The platform has worked with more than 3,000 brands globally, while its domestic commerce infrastructure supports 250-300 storefronts in India. GSK, Cipla Health, Zydus, Philips, Hero and HUL, among others, use Stelcore to manage their D2C operations. Why D2C Brands Need An Operating Layer Behind The Storefront For many established brands, the challenge is that their existing supply chains were built for a very different way of selling. Traditional distribution typically moves products through a network of distributors, dealers and retailers before they reach the customer. D2C cuts out much of that chain, with brands selling directly to consumers and taking on responsibilities such as managing individual orders, storing inventory closer to customers, processing payments and arranging last-mile delivery. The operational challenge is becoming more demanding as delivery expectations tighten. According to the Redseer report, the delivery timelines in India have reduced by 65% over the past seven years, putting greater pressure on brands to manage fulfilment, logistics and inventory efficiently. As more brands move towards D2C and volumes increase, the infrastructure built for traditional distribution does not always work well for this model. This is where Stelcore’s approach differs from a traditional third-party logistics (3PL) provider. Instead of starting with inventory in a warehouse, Stelcore connects a brand’s storefront with the systems and partners that manage fulfilment, shipping, payments, returns and reconciliation. Specialist logistics providers can still handle the physical movement of products, but Stelcore coordinates these pieces through a common operating layer. The idea is to decide where inventory should sit and how orders should move so that brands can balance delivery speed, fulfilment costs and inventory efficiency. Stelcore currently provides access to more than 260 fulfilment locations across 150+ cities. It uses the network to determine the most efficient way to fulfil each order. What Happens After A Customer Clicks “Buy Now”? Take Centrum, the daily multivitamin and mineral supplement brand, as an example. A customer visits its website, selects a product, places an order and makes the payment. For the customer, the transaction may seem to end there, but behind the scenes, a series of systems and partners must work together to deliver the order. The order first enters Stelcore’s order management system (OMS). Based on the brand's rules, the system determines where the order should be fulfilled and which logistics partner should handle delivery. Factors such as the customer’s PIN code, the agreed service-level agreement (SLA) and the delivery requirements help determine the most appropriate route. This means an order from one customer could be fulfilled from one location and handed to Blue Dart, while another order could be routed through a different fulfilment centre and shipped by another carrier. Once the package leaves the fulfilment centre, Stelcore continues to manage the information flowing around the order. Shipment and tracking updates move through the Stelcore system and can be shared with the brand and, where applicable, the customer. The logistics partner remains responsible for physical delivery. According to Stelcore, this integrated approach helps brands save almost 80% as it cuts down the need to own a large operational team and tech integrated order in real time. Based on the services selected by the brand, the workflow can continue even post-delivery to support processes such as post-delivery reporting, reconciliation and returns, bringing these activities into the same operational flow. As a result, a single D2C order can involve a brand, a fulfilment centre, a logistics provider, and multiple technology systems without the brand having to coordinate each one independently. The logistics company moves the package, while Stelcore provides the operating layer that connects the different parts of the process and keeps the order moving from checkout to delivery and, if required, beyond. Scaling The Infrastructure Behind Enterprise D2C The complexity of running D2C at scale becomes clearer with the example of a large FMCG brand that uses Stelcore’s traditional distribution infrastructure to fulfil online orders. As the brand’s D2C volumes grew, it had to connect its ecommerce channels with its CRM, inventory systems, warehouses, logistics partners and customer-service processes. The problem was no longer simply how to deliver more orders, but how to make all these systems and teams work together without creating multiple, disconnected processes. This is a common challenge for established brands moving from traditional distribution to D2C. Their existing infrastructure was built around distributors, retailers and established supply-chain processes, whereas D2C requires the brand to manage individual customer orders and coordinate everything from inventory and fulfilment to delivery, returns and reconciliation. Stelcore’s role in such setups is to bring these functions together while allowing the brand’s existing systems and processes to remain part of the operation. This becomes particularly important as volumes increase because adding more orders should not mean adding the same proportion of manual work. Therefore, the company is working towards greater automation across its infrastructure, while also building a denser domestic fulfilment network and connecting it with its existing cross-border capabilities. For consumers, D2C remains a simple proposition: visit a brand’s website, place an order and wait for it to arrive. For brands, it is a web of internal systems, warehouses, logistics companies and customer-service processes. As more established businesses move towards selling directly to consumers, Stelcore believes the ability to connect and coordinate that infrastructure will become an increasingly important part of the D2C model.
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