What: DTC brands joining multi-brand retailers and marketplaces to reach out to more consumers

Why it is important: originally the main purpose of a Direct-to-Consumer business model was to cut every intermediary between the brand and its customers. Now these brands are rethinking their approach and are entering marketplaces (physical and digital) in order to reach out to more customers. The concept of multi-brand was actually invented by department stores over a century ago

BoF explores the new ways of doing DTC retail and explains how the role of the multi-brand marketplaces remain the same: a convenient space where you can find many brands and items in one place. The idea is not new, as recalled above department stores were the first ones to offer multi-brand spaces, but the technology is. Now the marketplaces are digital (think Amazon) and event big retailers such as department stores are investing in digital and developing their e-commerce to reach out to the new consumers.

One big way Direct-to-Consumer retail is changing