Is DTC Dead?

Part of SXSW 2023

This event took place on Monday, March 13, 2023 at 2:30 PM UTC.

Venue: Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon J. With the retail industry in a perpetual state of flux, what brands and retailers thought online retail would look like is changing. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands were once the darlings of the industry. Now, at the mercy of ongoing supply chain disruptions and high customer acquisition costs, many DTCs are not delivering on what they initially promised. With retailers across the board online now, DTC brands no longer have that special pull on shoppers they once had. This begs the question: did the DTC model ever work? This panel will focus on how the DTC environment of over-raising capital and unprofitable margins were never sustainable. Panelists will identify ways DTCs can become profitable, resilient and agile, ranging from owned logistics operations to loyalty-driven models.