The take
Getting listed is the entry point. Owning the digital shelf is the real prize.
Most brands still treat e-commerce as one more sales channel. I see it as the place where the next decade of brand growth will be decided. At Bioderma, e-commerce grew from a supporting channel into 60% of the regional topline, as the business rose from 10 million in 2019 to 16 million in 2020. At Dabur, e-commerce grew 40% year on year.
Neither result came from advertising alone. Both came from treating Amazon, Noon and Talabat as strategic partners, with shared plans, shared data and shared upside. Shoppers now discover, compare and decide online. The brands that plan with the digital shelf, rather than simply appear on it, are the brands that will own their categories.
Editorial bio
Shanth Kumar treats e-commerce as the operating system consumer brands actually run on now, not a channel bolted onto one. He leads digital and e-commerce for Britannia Industries' biscuit business in the GCC and North America from Dubai, after a decade turning premium beauty and FMCG portfolios into digital-first businesses.
At Bioderma he grew e-commerce from a supporting channel into 60% of the MENA topline, taking the business from 10 million in 2019 to 16 million in 2020. At Dabur International he ran a 600 million AED MENA portfolio to 40% year-on-year e-commerce growth and opened Egypt, the USA and China. Before that: Sebamed, Diageo and Dell India. Two 2022 regional awards for digital innovation, an MBA from Bangalore University, executive programmes at IIM Bangalore and Indore.
Worth following if you want marketplace strategy – Amazon, Noon, Talabat, Tmall, JD.com – argued as joint business, not advertising.
Key facts
- based in
- Dubai, UAE
- current
- Digital & E-commerce Marketing Manager, Britannia Industries (GCC & North America)
- prior
- Dabur International · Bioderma, Etat Pur & Institut Esthederm · Sebamed · Diageo · Dell India
- experience
- 20 years across GCC, MENA, India, SAARC, Europe and USA
- education
- MBA (Marketing), Bangalore University · Executive Programmes, IIM Bangalore and IIM Indore
- recognition
- 2022 MENA Digital Awards – Best Digital Innovative Campaign · 2022 Beautyworld Awards – Digital Innovative Campaign · Top 30 E-commerce Icon UAE 2025 · India Book of Records 2018
- focus
- Digital commerce strategy · marketplace growth · retail media · D2C · digital transformation
Featured work
Britannia Industries
Leads KSA and UAE e-commerce strategy and opened new markets in North America and Australia (3M in sales).
Dabur International
40% YoY e-commerce growth on a 600M AED MENA portfolio; launched Egypt, USA and China (3M in sales); centralised content on Sitecore.
Bioderma, Etat Pur & Institut Esthederm
Grew e-commerce to 60% of regional topline (10M → 16M); 1M app downloads; JBPs with Amazon, Noon, Talabat, Jumia, JD.com and Tmall.
Sebamed
Doubled total brand revenue through digital and e-commerce; scaled D2C to 2M monthly visits at 2.5x ROAS.