Future of retail: how DTC is going mainstream

DTC brands are coming for retail – or so we hear; research from the IAB explores the characteristics that set these brands apart and what incumbents can learn.

Direct-to-consumer brands are doing more than just unsettling incumbents: they are carving out a fresh way of selling products and services with customer preference and need at the centre of both marketing and product development.

The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB UK) explores this new breed of brands, with a specific focus on retailers, in its study Unwrapping the Direct to Consumer brands reshaping retail. Here’s a breakdown.

It’s about control and vision

Though both the name DTC and the focus on businesses of that kind are relatively new, certain brands, like Naked Wines and Made.com, are...

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands