Can Messaging & Mixed Retail Be the Future of DTC? I think so!
I just read an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal by my friend Nat Ives where he argued that Direct to Consumer (DTC) is getting harder for emerging players to pull off.
As someone who is currently working on a DTC business - that you’ll hear more about soon - I do believe that in its current manifestation this is true! In fact, I think Nat gets the biggest piece right: these new brands first have to make sure the consumer need is really there! But I don’t think it just stops there. I believe that DTC brands always have to think quickly about moving into traditional retail. Yes! I said it, “Traditional Retail.” That’s because I still believe that’s where some of the biggest brands were made and will continue to be made!
"I believe that DTC brands always have to think quickly about moving into traditional retail."
If you can both: 1) connect with the consumers who have chosen to connect with you by giving you their data, and 2) you can prove that you have demand that allows you a place in traditional retail, then your business has the potential to be huge!
Nat has expertly pin-pointed the greatest challenge DTC brands face: the cost of social is rising and it is getting more and more expensive to reach your consumer through these channels! But rather than being a victim of the big-platforms, brands should look at the alternative routes available. I think messaging, ‘conversational commerce’, or ‘text-to-buy’ will be the new driver of growth for DTC brands. I believe this so much that I decided to co-found a company specifically focused on reinventing how messaging could benefit both brands and consumers.
Don’t believe me? Well, just look at Zuckerberg’s latest messenger announcement, or at the partial-purchase of ‘text-to-buy’ brands like Dirty Lemon! The proof is already in the market!
"I think messaging, ‘conversational commerce’, or ‘text-to-buy’ will be the new drivers of growth for DTC brands."
If you want to build the next billion-dollar DTC brand (and be the next ‘Dollar Shave Club’) then conversational commerce should be part of your road map!
If you’re a DTC brand, connect with me via text now and I’ll prove it! +1 (646) 759-1837
Entrepreneur, Marketing Executive, Mentor
5 年Yes, absolutely, a return to real business vs a business propped up by VC money.
President at iVeew,
5 年We are using messaging to deliver to consumer, via our b-b platform for merchandising and messaging, white labeled for the business.
Founding Partner at Akamai Group / Business Advisory / Public Speaker
5 年Great observation.? ?Been using text messaging to increase ancillary revenue at hotels, but hadn't looked at DTC.? ?Thank you.
Circularity - AI for Retail - Ecommerce Business Development Executive
5 年100% Bonin! Would add Contextual Commerce to this - check out @visitbatch to see how this is working for DTC brands. We should chat about how we can work together!
Top 100 Retail Expert REThink Retail | Luxury Retail, Digital Transformation & Customer Experience Technology Innovator | PODCAST HOST: Retail Razor
5 年We can still do better than "text to buy". Before we buy; we shop. The act of shopping is something that "marketers", ecommerce and conversational commerce have ignored. It's just the beginning of headless commerce and mobile first. We have so much infrastructure that needs to built to move the conversation into meaningful "pocket" relationships. 100% agree with you that this is coming up the pipe in a big way. There are plenty of people are working on it and when it arrives, advertising platforms like fb and google will see a decrease in Ad spends because DTC will see a more profitable businesses and happier customers that return organically.?