Direct-to-Consumer
How direct-to-consumer brands and retail concepts are reshaping the industry, online and off.
Highlights

How the DTC Bust Could Play Out

Fashion and beauty start-up valuations appear to have stabilised after plunging last year, though it may be months or even years before many return to their old highs — if they ever do. But there are ways for emerging and established players to ride out the downturn.

Case Studies & Reports

Case Study

Case Study | How to Build a Profitable DTC Brand

Case Study

Case Study | Building a DTC Challenger Brand

Case Study

Case Study | The New Four Ps of DTC Marketing

Latest News & Analysis

What Investors Want From DTC Brands

Cautious investors are finding safer bets in tech-focused platforms that create products for digitally-native brands over traditional DTC start-ups.

What Parade’s Sale Says About the State of DTC

The Gen-Z intimates brand’s sale to a little-known strategic is the latest in an ongoing series of less than desirable exits for unprofitable digitally-native start-ups.

Why Brand Awareness Is DTC’s New Challenge

Brands like Warby Parker, Allbirds and Olaplex have successfully slashed digital advertising costs. Now they need to figure out new ways to find customers.

The Unassuming T-Shirt Brand Trying to Break the DTC Curse

True Classic has emerged from a sea of men’s brands promising the perfect t-shirt, managing to build a big audience without bleeding cash.

The BoF Podcast | Allbirds’ Tim Brown on Learning to Lead With Resilience

The co-founder and chief innovation officer of the Nasdaq-listed sneaker brand reflects on how his time as a professional footballer prepared him to lead a business through the highs and the lows.

Building a Rewards Programme That Keeps Fickle Customers Coming Back

Facing a competitive landscape and unreliable online shoppers, brands can no longer rely on a traditional points-based offering to drive repeat purchases.

Should DTC Brands Open Their Own Factories?

Some digitally native start-ups are buying or building factories to cut production times and control quality. But not every company is built to handle manufacturing themselves.

For Many Digital Retailers, Profits and Growth Appear to Be Mutually Exclusive

DTC brands and e-commerce platforms delivered some rare good news this week in the form of shrinking losses, but investors were largely unimpressed.

Which Start-Up Will Win the Race to Profitability?

Allbirds, Warby Parker, The RealReal and others have plenty to prove when they report earnings this week. That, plus what else to watch for.

Why There May Never Be a Gen-Z Glossier or Warby Parker

Instead of emulating the face-paced growth favoured by their predecessors, Gen-Z-centric fashion and beauty start-ups are taking a steadier approach to brand-building.

At Hyaloid, Evolving DTC to a Multiplatform Model

CEO Oh Sang Hyeon shares how Hyaloid’s latest platform strives to ease the customer user experience through several applications delivered on one platform technology, accessed with the use of one password on its social commerce service.

Why Fashion Hasn’t Given Up on Social Commerce

Outside Asian markets, companies have yet to see lasting success in melding social media and e-commerce. But platforms and brands continue to adapt social selling to meet their respective consumers.

The News in Brief

Warby Parker Grows Profits in Second Quarter

Warby Parker reported another quarter of growing sales and profit. The eyewear maker’s revenue grew 11 percent to $166 million in the second quarter of the year, and it generated $14 million in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, up from $6 million a year earlier.

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