Direct-to-Consumer / Direct Retail

In 2024, survivors of the e-commerce reckoning used consumer data to make wiser investments and focused on building profitable, desirable brands that offer more than low prices and convenience.

The ultra-fast-fashion giant could be the biggest listing in London for years, but controversies around the company’s business practices and links to China are dragging on the process.

The classic shoe has become a go-to for plugged-in menswear shoppers thanks to DTC upstarts offering a wide range of slip-on styles with distinct aesthetics and accessible price points.

Halara has amassed a large audience online with its ultra-affordable athleisure. Now, the brand is pursuing a brick-and-mortar strategy to prove it’s more than its rock-bottom prices.

Companies like Nike, Levi’s and PVH, which have been on years-long journeys to ramp up their direct businesses amid ongoing challenges in wholesale, provide case studies for how to invest in the selling channel.

Founder Michael Preysman and his investors are back in growth mode after implementing cost cuts and changes to the product mix last year. Whether Everlane can find a new leader to make it the sales juggernaut it's always dreamt of being will be a test case for whether late-stage start-ups can escape the direct-to-consumer curse.

The cost to advertise on Meta — once digital brands’ primary marketing channel — has finally come down. But start-ups will continue to decrease their reliance on social media, including investing more in offline advertising and in targeting customers on Google, where the intent to buy is higher.

Under new leadership, the denim pioneer will be tested to see if it can become a global DTC brand that’s known for more than its historic jeans.