#direct-to-consumer

#direct-to-consumer

Launched in 2019 by then-university students Cami Téllez and Jack DeFuria, Parade cultivated an online following by embracing size diversity and accessible pricing, and by sending free products to "microinfluencers" in exchange for promotional posts across social media. While other fashion companies floundered during the heavily online Covid-19 pandemic, Parade earned $10 million in revenue on the back of its viral marketing strategy.

Since its founding in in Antwerp in 2016, Loop has become a best-selling, highly imitated earplug brand, racking up collaborations from Coachella to McLaren to Swarovski. When Bodewes and O, childhood friends who bonded over a mutual love of music festivals and motorcycles, began suffering from tinnitus in their late twenties, they found a gap in the market for affordable but stylish earplugs.

Their customer base spans urbanites in compact apartments and suburban families in larger homes who simply want rooms that adapt to how they actually live. What strikes me about their approach is the rejection of "small space furniture" as a limiting category. These aren't miniaturized versions of conventional pieces or folding compromises that sacrifice quality for compactness. Instead, Expand Furniture treats transformation as the primary design challenge, creating pieces that maintain full functionality in multiple configurations while hiding mechanical complexity behind clean aesthetics.

Now, a new crop of storefronts want to make it easier to shop what we see on our favourite creators' feeds by positioning them as the curators of their own online stores. As the traditional wholesale model falters, it's shaping up to be the next creator economy battleground. In the last three months, ShopMy launched direct-to-consumer (DTC) creator storefronts on its platform, which currently provide affiliate links to creators to tag their recommendations.

The Nallys hit a few snags when they started selling their own milk direct to the customer but now their machines are shifting 500L a week and they are supplying two local supermarkets

Listeners and readers of "Ecommerce Conversations" know I occasionally depart from interviews to share my experiences owning and operating Beardbrand, the direct-to-consumer brand I launched a decade ago. To date, I've addressed hiring, branding, profit-building, priority-setting, exiting, overcoming setbacks, and top business models. This too is a solo episode, addressing entrepreneurial doldrums, when a business is seemingly stuck in no growth or worse. Certainly that's the story of Beardbrand over the past couple of years.

"When Mark and I first discussed starting a brand, it wasn't about the products," Arnett tells Entrepreneur. "It was about how we could equip modern consumers with what they need to achieve their goals."

The Neptune three-piece sectional is $1,795, but adding an ottoman is an extra $260. You can also add a headrest to each back piece at $105 each. Cozey also offers a full-size sleep kit, which includes a topper, fitted sheet, flat sheet, two pillows and pillowcases, and comforter for $270. My selection included a three-piece set with an ottoman and a sleep kit, totaling $2,325. You can finance this purchase with Affirm, which has an annual APR of 0-32%, subject to provincial limitations.

Wrestlemania and other WWE Premium Live events will be available on ESPN's new direct-to-consumer streaming service starting in 2026, marking a significant partnership.

"Sometimes great things take a long time to get to the point where it's right. And we both feel that it is at this stage," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a call with The Associated Press.

Marketers are recognizing the immediate impact of AI on their search strategies and taking steps to adapt before it fundamentally changes customer engagement.

The hill really represents ... the hard work we have been doing and that we continue to do. Over the last few years we've been a bit quieter about what we've been doing, but the work is always there.