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  • November 2017 (Revised October 2018)
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Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods

By: Jill Avery
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:24
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Abstract

Brandless, an online direct-to-consumer seller of upscale private-label consumer packaged goods, offered consumers a limited assortment of values-conscious products delivered directly to their homes with the simplicity of one fixed $3 price point that promised an average savings of 40% versus national brands through the elimination of the BrandTax, the hidden costs the company claimed consumers paid for a national brand. As the venture-funded startup entered the fiercely competitive CPG industry, it was simultaneously taking on both the world's greatest brands and the world's most dominant retailers. Could Brandless change the way consumers bought the essential items that filled their pantries and medicine cabinets? Industry pundits had long predicted both the death of brands and the death of brick and mortar retailing in the contemporary marketplace. Would Brandless be the final nail in the coffin?

Keywords

Brand; Brand Management; Retailing; Retailing Industry; Private Label; Direct To Consumer Marketing; Ecommerce; Digital Marketing; Consumer Packaged Goods; Startup; Marketing; Marketing Strategy; Disruption; Food; Product Marketing; Marketing Channels; Consumer Behavior; Brands and Branding; Venture Capital; E-commerce; Consumer Products Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Retail Industry; United States; North America

Citation

Avery, Jill. "Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods." Harvard Business School Case 518-044, November 2017. (Revised October 2018.)
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About The Author

Jill J. Avery

Marketing
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Related Work

    • January 2020 (Revised April 2020)
    • Faculty Research

    Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods

    By: Jill Avery
    • November 2017 (Revised October 2018)
    • Faculty Research

    Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods

    By: Jill Avery
Related Work
  • Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods By: Jill Avery
  • Brandless: Disrupting Consumer Packaged Goods By: Jill Avery
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