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Pablo Picasso once famously said that “good artists borrow, great artists steal.” Whether you want to do one or the other is entirely up to you; we’re just going to leave some of the best D2C examples and success stories of the last decade. 1. Warby Parker (Eyewear) Warby Parker is one of those brands that come to mind when you think of a D2C model that managed to disrupt an industry. In this case, Warby Parker cut out the middleman in the eyewear industry to provide better pricing and more stylistic choices to consumers. Warby Parker was digital-first from the start, building a strong social media presence and marketing their products mostly on the internet. They have also introduced a charity incentive where they pledge to give a pair of glasses for free to someone in need for every pair of glasses sold.
Since progressively more Millenials and Gen Z want to shop with ethical retailers, this Email List probably positively influenced the brand image. Right now, the brand image of the company has grown so much that it’s able to grow 12% YoY by cutting a third of the marketing budget and opening dozens of in-person stores across the US. 2. Casper (Mattresses & Bedding) Casper is the company that revolutionized sleeping. It positioned itself as the Nike of sleeping and branched out into much more than its original product, mattresses. Thanks to effective online marketing and bold branding, Casper has served over 1.4 million customers from its founding. What’s more, the company went for wholesale even though most of its sales were still D2C: since 20218 you can buy Casper mattresses from traditional retailers like Target and Costco.
This both helped with raising profits but likely contributed to brand awareness, as seeing a product in popular stores might have given it more credibility. However, Casper isn’t doing as well right now. The thing is, the company tried to squeeze the market by lowering pricing so much it was losing money on each sale. Because of this, and because of growing competition, Casper is now valued at 20% of its former peak and is scheduled to be made private again. There are three lessons you can learn from Casper: If you invest in bold branding, you can grow your sales very quickly If you fail at unit economics, no amount of customer base growth can save your bottom line Don’t hesitate to combine D2C with wholesale 3. Misfits Market (Online groceries) A less-known D2C success story, Misfits Market, which has now become a $2 billion company, has found success thanks to combining an excellent business model, a great branding idea, and clear digital marketing.
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