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  • January 2020 (Revised May 2020)
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Direct to Consumer Brands

By: Sunil Gupta
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:11
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Abstract

Recent years have seen the dramatic rise of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands by several startups. Many of these brands, such as Dollar Shave Club, Harry’s, Glossier, and Allbirds, entered mature markets dominated by established companies, and yet they grew rapidly to attain valuations over $1 billion. At the same time, some DTC brands such as Casper saw a significant drop in their valuations after going public. Are these DTC brands fads or the dawn of a new era? And how should incumbents respond?

Keywords

Direct-to-consumer; Digital Marketing; Industry Evolution; Business Startups; Internet and the Web; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Change

Citation

Gupta, Sunil. "Direct to Consumer Brands." Harvard Business School Case 520-060, January 2020. (Revised May 2020.)
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About The Author

Sunil Gupta

Marketing
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Related Work

    • May 2020 (Revised August 2022)
    • Faculty Research

    Direct to Consumer Brands

    By: Sunil Gupta
    • January 2020 (Revised May 2020)
    • Faculty Research

    Direct to Consumer Brands

    By: Sunil Gupta
Related Work
  • Direct to Consumer Brands By: Sunil Gupta
  • Direct to Consumer Brands By: Sunil Gupta
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