Snitch is using India’s most expensive streets to reset its brand perception

Snitch didn’t follow the standard D2C arc where brands spend years online before cautiously stepping into physical retail. What began in 2019 as a Bengaluru-based B2B menswear supplier took an unexpected turn in 2020, when pandemic-disrupted orders left the company sitting on excess inventory.

That forced pivot to a tiny Shopify site with barely 30 products didn’t just save the business, it unlocked an internet-native fashion engine built on rapid drops, sharp trend-spotting and a knack for going viral. What began as a small four-member team quickly snowballed into a reel-friendly menswear machine that hit Rs 100 crore in revenue by 2023.

Fast-forward a few years, and Snitch has gone from a D2C fast-fashion brand into a national player with 92 stores (as of November 2025). D2C brands moving offline isn’t new but Snitch’s offline map is interesting.

Instead of easing into predictable mall corridors, the brand is choosing some of India’s most expensive, high-stakes retail neighborhoods—Colaba in Mumbai and prime pockets in Delhi and Bengaluru—to open its retail outlets. Locations where even legacy brands pause to calculate the rent-to-survival ratio.

So why is a five-year-old digital-first brand choosing coordinates that make seasoned retailers nervous?

According to Chetan Siyal, founding member and CMO at Snitch, the choice is intentional and layered. For Snitch, Colaba isn’t just real estate; it’s signalling.

“Choosing Colaba after a five-year journey signals that the brand has arrived,” Siyal says.

“We want Snitch to feel aspirational. High-street locations put us in front of the right pedestrian traffic, and yes, the rentals are steep but they filter out brands that lack conviction.”

Metro-first expansion, with Tier-III and Tier-IV cities on the horizon

Snitch’s offline push mirrors the migration of its customers. While the brand’s early buyers came from small towns, Siyal says that the same consumer has now moved to Tier-I and Tier-II cities for work.

That’s why the brand’s store rollout is metro-first, with flagship formats in cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Mumbai, and high-efficiency stores of 3,500- 4,500 sq ft tailored to specific neighbourhoods. The brand is also gradually expanding to other cities, such as Ahmedabad, Faridabad, Lucknow, Kota, and Mysore.

The result? Snitch’s revenue split is now 50% offline and 50% online – a remarkable shift for a brand that started online.

By next year, with a goal of 250 stores, Siyal expects offline to overtake online by 10–15%. Because consumers behave differently in-store versus on-screen.

“In stores, customers buy nearly twice what they would online,” Siyal notes. “The trust we built digitally becomes conversion offline.”

Snitch enters the quick commerce chat

Simultaneously, the company is also experimenting with Snitch Quick in Bengaluru, promising 60-minute delivery of apparel. The pilot is off to a strong start. Chetan mentioned, in barely a month’s time, quick-commerce has accounted for 10–15% of Bengaluru’s orders, with negligible returns (except for fit issues).

And unlike impulse-based grocery carts, Siyal believes quick-fashion has a different trigger: “Fashion in quick commerce isn’t impulsive. It’s intent-led, people order because they have a need right now.”

The rollout roadmap is already set: Mumbai next, then Delhi.

Inside the media mix: Digital-first communication with growing offline reach

Despite its offline surge, Snitch hasn’t abandoned its digital roots for its marketing. The split is now 70% digital and 30% offline, with the latter growing as stores multiply.

Offline investments include:

• Mall branding
• Outdoor screens
• Campus activations
• Participation in events like the Indian Sneaker Festival

The product thesis: Not cheap, but ‘high perceived value’

In a category long dominated by international players, Siyal says Snitch’s edge isn’t pricing, but its perception. “Snitch has never advocated a low-pricing model,” he says. Instead, the focus is on:

• Speed (trend velocity)
• Quality (thanks to owning their supply chain end-to-end)
• Aspirational communication, democratic pricing

It’s a combination designed to appeal to a broad but style-sensitive audience, one that doesn’t want to pay luxury prices but also doesn’t want to buy disposable fast fashion.

Who walks into a Snitch store?

Snitch’s data shows both overlap and contrast between its online and offline shoppers.

Online:

• Laid-back, convenience-driven.
• Wants doorstep delivery.
• Often browses without immediate purchase intent.

Offline:

• Comes in pairs, mostly couples.
• Out for the experience (and sometimes a specific need).
• Buys more per visit.