added by sari and · updated 2y ago
No. 317: The DTC Playbook Is a Trap
- For a while, the DTC playbook was golden: Start with a commodity product, something like dish soap or underpants. Give it a modern design and wrap it in minimalist packaging. Include a pastel background in the impeccably staged product photos, which splash across a Shopify-powered e-commerce site flanked by sans-serif fonts, punchy copy and a messa... See more
from The DTC Party’s Over. What Happens Next? by Hal Koss
sari added
- I think this drives at a more fundamental failing by Brandless in particular, that is likely true broadly: the company’s cost structure was completely unsuited for DTC. My strong suspicion — admittedly biased, given Stratechery’s business model — is that the biggest opportunities in DTC are in niches, and the best way to exploit those niches is by ... See more
from Brandless Closes, The DTC Facebook Challenge, DTC Versus Softbank by Ben Thompson
sari added
- Highly venture-backed DTCs largely have two pathways to longevity and success. They can sell to an incumbent, much in the same way that Bonobos and Jet.com have sold to Walmart, or they can try their luck and go public. The incumbents are willing to overlook the less than ideal DTC economics because what they’re buying isn’t a business model, it’s ... See more
from Why All the Warby Parker Clones Are Now Imploding by Maya Kosoff
sari added