Will 'New Retail' help D2C brands succeed offline?

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

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

Fast forward to today, eCommerce has made it possible for emerging brands with a niche product to achieve nationwide retail distribution at an accelerated rate.

As Eurie Kim said to me on the phone, “DTC is not a P&L advantage anymore.” Omni-channel is the new normal.