MAM
Simpl introduces ‘Early Settlement’ for D2C to reduce CoD settlement time up to 90 per cent
Mumbai: Simpl – Checkout Network announced the introduction of its newest business offering ‘Early Settlement’ for direct-to-customer (D2C) merchants, aimed at reducing the settlement time for cash on delivery (CoD) orders by up to 90 per cent and improving daily sales by nearly 40 per cent. This assumes significance as CoD orders, which constitute nearly 60 per cent of all online orders, typically take 15-20 days for settlement at the merchant’s end, thereby blocking cash flow and increasing merchants’ working capital requirements.
In addition to this, the new business offering from Simpl also settles prepaid orders with merchants in the shortest time possible, thereby providing/giving merchants the ability to improve their cash flow with same-day settlement of both CoD and prepaid orders. Simpl’s ‘Early Settlement’ also offers settlements on all 365 days and not just on business working days, which is a first in the industry. Its fully automated settlement system ensures timely and accurate payments to merchants, helping improve their cash flows and reconciliation.
Commenting on the launch of Early Settlement, Simpl CXO Khanaz K.A said, “As an organisation with a nuanced understanding of merchants’ pain points, the tardy pace of cash flow settlements from CoD transactions in India has been a persistent challenge for D2C merchants in India. This leads to ballooning of monthly unsettled cash for D2C merchants to $ 300 million, which leads to an increase in their working capital requirements. With Simpl’s Early Settlement, merchants will be able to reduce their CoD order settlement time by as much as 90 per cent and improve their average daily sales by nearly 40 per cent. In the first two months of its pilot stage, nearly two dozen D2C merchants have already adopted our newest business offering, in a testament to its efficacy in solving their cash flow concerns, which they can redeploy to further their business growth”.
Among the two dozen early adopters of Early Settlement, merchants such as Wabi Sabi, Frido and Italian Colony have witnessed a substantial upward shift in their sales, experiencing a 40 per cent increase after expanding their cash on delivery (CoD) capacity. Interestingly, women’s luxury wear brand Wabi Sabi has recorded over 125 per cent improvement in sales within a month of adopting this Early Settlement.
The onboarding process for merchants to activate ‘Early Settlement’ takes approximately 15 minutes and the technology stack has been designed to ensure error-free execution without the need for any human intervention. Once the integration is successfully completed, merchants can expect prompt and hassle-free settlements as a testament to the efficiency of our system. Simpl is also working on ensuring real-time settlements for COD transactions over the next few months, to further streamline the settlement process. With Early Settlement, Simpl is expanding its offerings for merchants after 1-Tap Checkout, Pay after Delivery and Checkout Suite to improve conversions and reduce return to origin (RTO).
With over 26,000 merchants and millions of customers choosing Simpl as their preferred checkout partner, the company has over the last several years developed and strengthened its artificial intelligence-powered technology platform, which powers consumers’ checkout journey seamlessly and helps merchants improve their business.
Brands
Pre-seed funding fuels nailinit, India’s new-age nail care brand
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund backs Gen Z-focused beauty startup
MUMBAI: nailinit, a community-first nail care startup targeting Gen Z and millennials, has raised Rs 2.5 to Rs 3 crore in a pre-seed round led by Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund and Marsshot VC, alongside a clutch of consumer, technology and operator angels.
Backed by entrepreneur and investor Nikhil Kamath, Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund is betting on nailinit’s attempt to give India’s nail care aisle a long overdue makeover. The fresh capital will be used to deepen distribution across quick commerce and D2C channels, build its community engine, and accelerate product innovation in a category that is high frequency but still light on strong brands.
Founded by Tanishq Ambegaokar and Shubham Singhal, nailinit is positioning itself at the crossroads of beauty, self-expression and culture. The brand wants nails to be more than a finishing touch. It sees them as a canvas for identity, content and commerce.
“At nailinit, we are building for a generation that sees beauty as self-expression, not just routine,” said Ambegaokar. “The nail category in India has largely been underserved by strong brands. This capital allows us to invest in product depth, community and distribution in a thoughtful and long-term way.”
Singhal added that while the brand’s tone may be playful, its operating focus is sharp. “This round strengthens our supply chain, expands our digital footprint and enables disciplined execution as we scale.”
The funding round drew notable angels including Shashank Kumar of Razorpay, Arjit Johri of Marsshot VC, Yash Jain, formerly of NimbusPost, Karan Jindal of Meta, Jivraj Singh Sachar of ISV Capital, Nishank Jain of Accel, Yashvardhan Kanoi, Ashwarya Garg of HYPD, Venus Dhuria of Phot.AI and Amishi Parasrampuria of The Whole Truth.
Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund fund manager Gauri Kuchhal, believes the opportunity lies in shifting habits. “Nail care remains underpenetrated in India, with consumers relying on time-intensive salon visits. As convenience and self-expression gain ground, press-on nails can unlock more frequent and experimental usage. Nailinit is well-placed to expand beyond press-ons into adjacent categories.”
The brand is currently the only nail care player in India blending product-led retail with a dedicated kiosk at Jio World Drive in Bandra, where customers can walk in for services while discovering the range. It has also built early traction across quick commerce platforms such as Zepto and Blinkit, with a launch on Instamart in the pipeline, and is available on Amazon, strengthening its omnichannel presence.
In a space long dominated by salon chairs and scattered labels, nailinit is attempting to file, shape and polish the category into something sharper. With fresh funding in hand, the startup is setting out to prove that in beauty, small details can make a bold statement.
