One of the entrepreneurial wonders of the 21st Century economy is actually not a very new concept at all. Direct-to-the-consumer (DTC) brands have been around since the first mail-order catalogues. Names such as LLBean, Orvis and Lands’ End revolutionized remote selling, as they understood the power of data and measurement in building these enterprises, by earning customer loyalty through superior products and customer service, and generating lifetime value.
So perhaps it’s only natural that in an increasingly digital, social and mobile world — where data enables such direct connections more fluidly and products can be personalized at-scale — DTC startups would come to be powerful brands in their own right.
