Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • March 31, 2020
  • Article
  • Harvard Business Review Digital Articles

Reinventing the Direct-to-Consumer Business Model

By: Len Schlesinger, Matt Higgins and Shaye Roseman
  • Format:Electronic
ShareBar

Abstract

Over the past decade, a new breed of “direct-to-consumer” (DTC) startups, including Warby Parker and Casper, helped forge a new business model. But lately that business model is faltering as the advantages that early entrants enjoyed have evaporated. To retool, DTC companies will need to embrace an omnichannel strategy, create tighter ties with their communities, and vertically integrate to increase margins.

Keywords

Direct-to-consumer; Omnichannel; Business Model; Change; Strategy

Citation

Schlesinger, Len, Matt Higgins, and Shaye Roseman. "Reinventing the Direct-to-Consumer Business Model." H05HI1. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles (March 31, 2020).
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Register to Read

About The Author

Leonard A. Schlesinger

General Management
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • September 2024
    • Faculty Research

    Google Quantum AI

    By: David B. Yoffie, Michael A. Cusumano and Matt Higgins
    • May 2024
    • Faculty Research

    The Meteoric Rise of Skims

    By: Ayelet Israeli, Jill Avery and Leonard A. Schlesinger
    • May–June 2024
    • Harvard Business Review

    What Makes a Successful Celebrity Brand?

    By: Ayelet Israeli, Jill Avery, Leonard A. Schlesinger and Matt Higgins
More from the Authors
  • Google Quantum AI By: David B. Yoffie, Michael A. Cusumano and Matt Higgins
  • The Meteoric Rise of Skims By: Ayelet Israeli, Jill Avery and Leonard A. Schlesinger
  • What Makes a Successful Celebrity Brand? By: Ayelet Israeli, Jill Avery, Leonard A. Schlesinger and Matt Higgins
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College.