How brands like Vuori, Rothy's and Away have adapted to the new DTC landscape

"Ten years back, the world was a bit different, in terms of where digital [commerce] fit into the mix,"

"Before Away came to market, no one was buying luggage online,"

"Now what we're seeing is a decentralization,"

"The brand is still as important and the product is still fundamental and critical to the overall experience, but we are going to meet the customers where they are."

Vuori (founded 2015), Away (2016), and Rothy's (2012) evolved from early direct-to-consumer pioneers into larger-scale businesses with diversified models. Early DTC growth was powered by Instagram and Facebook enabling low-cost customer acquisition, making online purchases novel in some categories. Consumer search and shopping behaviors have shifted beyond discovery via social platforms to varied commerce channels. Established DTC brands now confront copycat competitors and opportunities around generative AI. Brands are decentralizing commerce, maintaining brand and product importance while meeting customers through social, agentic, and mobile commerce, and expanding into wholesale and physical retail.

Read at Digiday