Will 'New Retail' help D2C brands succeed offline?

* RaaS: Offering resale-as-a-service for brands like Everlane and Madewell. They helps merchants monetize returns. As e-commerce grows, so will this channel.

Third-Party, Retail as a Service (RaaS) Proliferates

The next generation of brands will still start with the story, but the other moats (logistics, distribution, sponsorships, etc) wither from there. We’ll see the next generation of “DTC” (direct to consumer) brands migrate to traditional retail channels, join large cross-brand data co-ops, shift marketing dollars to community management, and generat... See more

A lot of DTC brands, across categories, adopted “reviving the middle” strategy in the form of good quality items at affordable prices and excellent service. The downside of this model is that it’s costly, and most of these brands emulating it are VC-funded and not yet profitable. Scaling this model is also a challenge, as costs of supply, productio... See more

Retailers now and for the foreseeable future will live or die based on their ability to sift through mounds of data in order to create product and service offerings that resonate with their consumers. This includes dealing with the growing complexity of supply chain, inventory management, and more. At the same time, margins are being squeezed like ... See more

The promise of the internet has always been a low barrier to entry enabling unique people and brands to find passionate audiences and sustainable business models. That is more possible now through the combination of direct distribution, vertical focus and (often) direct monetization models. But the brands that can pull off DTC strategies need to be... See more