Will 'New Retail' help D2C brands succeed offline?

Digital has led to market fragmentation in nearly everything. Reduced opportunity costs have spawned a plethora of Direct to Consumer (DTC) brands which will continue for the foreseeable future. Small niche startups will continue to build followings and “tribes” in ways that couldn’t have been imagined in the pre-internet era.

Established brands and products will see an uptick in customer loyalty/retention. Their job becomes less about convincing the customer to stick with them and more about ensuring that if the customer comes asking for Billy’s Fizzpop, Billy’s Fizzpop is on the shelf — lest the out-of-stock replacement algorithm suggests Doctor Jimbo’s Diet Swish inst... See more