Could a growth in Direct to Consumer (DTC) businesses be in our new normal?
Even before the lockdown companies like Casper (mattresses) and American Giant (clothing) were already successfully selling directly to the consumer. By skipping the layers of middlemen typical in modern retail, DTC companies are able to place more resource where it counts, customer and product. Since the lockdown there seems to be a boost in people starting new businesses who don’t know about distribution layers and don’t care to learn.
We have purchased clothing from American Giant clothing and luggage from Redoxx for years. We discovered them when looking for ways to support ‘made in the USA’ but discovered extreme value and great customer service. (Please note that value and cheap are not the same thing, these products last long and still look good after many years of use. Repeatedly replacing cheap products is very low value.)
Finding DTC products can be difficult since search engines have become billboards and small startup companies often can’t afford the word buys required to show up in search results. Instagram and ‘influencers’ seem to be popular ways that DTCs get the word out but some of us don’t track either of those information channels.
How do you locate products offered directly to consumers?