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You really need a special market to make DTC super compelling. I think the elements are: * High margins * Repeat purchases * Low competitiveness For those,

You really need a special market to make DTC super compelling. I think the elements are: * High margins * Repeat purchases * Low competitiveness For those, glasses, razors, mattresses all hit at least 2 of 3. I wonder why nobody has done DTC with... say shoes? Probably too much competition.

danieltillett 9y ago
Lots have and most have failed. One of the problems with shoes is inconsistent sizing and the way women seem to want to try on 100 shoes before buying a pair.
- ghaff 9y ago
  You didn't phrase your comment obliquely enough apparently :-) But, yes, shoe fit and sizing can be really tricky. I've gone back and forth between shoes in a store a half-dozen times. And where shoes are a fashion accessory like jewelry, it's tricky to order online even if you can send a few things back. You can definitely get more hands-on in a store than you can online even with a generous return policy. And I know I've gotten stuff that was maybe not quite right but not bad. So I never returned. But I never wore much either.
ghaff 9y ago
There are niche players with a particular pitch. Xero for example. (You could argue that Nike is partly DTC in that they have their own retail stores.) In a lot of cases though, consumers want to go into a store that carries a bunch of different brands so that they can compare. Or, if shopping online, pick even multiple shoes from Zappos, try them, and return the rest. I'm not sure that shoes really fulfill any of those elements. There's probably a 4th category which is a niche/cult. Of course, that's a model for a "lifestyle business" not a silicon valley startup that is trying to scale and "disrupt."
deleted 9y ago
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pg_bot 9y ago
As mentioned in the article https://www.allbirds.com/ https://www.allbirds.com/ Have a few friends who won't stop talking about them.
bpicolo 9y ago
There's a crap ton of DTC shoes: https://www.gq.com/gallery/direct-to-consumer-shoe-brands-for-men https://www.gq.com/gallery/direct-to-consumer-shoe-brands-fo... Paul Evans has tons of NYC subway ads
- extra88 9y ago
  There's some good-looking stuff and maybe some aspects are appealing to higher-end customers but to me, shopping online for something like shoes is more about price. I don't see them beating Johnston & Murphy which has comparable or better prices and has physical stores.

danieltillett 9y ago

Lots have and most have failed. One of the problems with shoes is inconsistent sizing and the way women seem to want to try on 100 shoes before buying a pair.

ghaff 9y ago
You didn't phrase your comment obliquely enough apparently :-) But, yes, shoe fit and sizing can be really tricky. I've gone back and forth between shoes in a store a half-dozen times. And where shoes are a fashion accessory like jewelry, it's tricky to order online even if you can send a few things back. You can definitely get more hands-on in a store than you can online even with a generous return policy. And I know I've gotten stuff that was maybe not quite right but not bad. So I never returned. But I never wore much either.

ghaff 9y ago

There are niche players with a particular pitch. Xero for example. (You could argue that Nike is partly DTC in that they have their own retail stores.) In a lot of cases though, consumers want to go into a store that carries a bunch of different brands so that they can compare. Or, if shopping online, pick even multiple shoes from Zappos, try them, and return the rest. I'm not sure that shoes really fulfill any of those elements. There's probably a 4th category which is a niche/cult. Of course, that's a model for a "lifestyle business" not a silicon valley startup that is trying to scale and "disrupt."

deleted 9y ago

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pg_bot 9y ago

As mentioned in the article https://www.allbirds.com/ https://www.allbirds.com/ Have a few friends who won't stop talking about them.

bpicolo 9y ago

There's a crap ton of DTC shoes: https://www.gq.com/gallery/direct-to-consumer-shoe-brands-for-men https://www.gq.com/gallery/direct-to-consumer-shoe-brands-fo... Paul Evans has tons of NYC subway ads

extra88 9y ago
There's some good-looking stuff and maybe some aspects are appealing to higher-end customers but to me, shopping online for something like shoes is more about price. I don't see them beating Johnston & Murphy which has comparable or better prices and has physical stores.