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Selling directly to the consumer has more benefits than one can imagine—and this includes the opportunity to gather first-party data, which has become pivotal in designing hyper-personalized digital marketing campaigns.
After the massive disruption of supply chains owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, brands across the globe truly realized the power of DTC.
Some direct-to-consumer companies in the USA (2022) have been more successful than others, setting the perfect paragon for other brands to glean from. Let’s take a look at the top DTC brands in the US.
Founder: Niraj Shah, Steve Conine
Founding Year: 2002
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Monthly Unique Visitors: 7,556,840
Web Sales: >$5B
Order Volume: >50,000
Wayfair, a known name in the home goods and furniture niche, is a huge DTC outfit that stood at 31.1M annual users in 2021.
The company had a decent revenue in 2021, even after clocking some losses after the pandemic calmed down. This company has been labeled as one of the “First-Wave Disruptors” of the DTC world.
Founder: Tony Xu, Andy Fang Stanley, Tang Evan Moore
Founding Year: 2013
Location: San Francisco, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 5,720,100
Web Sales: $1B - $5B
Everyone knows DoorDash.
It is bigger than you think—DoorDash is the most frequently downloaded application in the US, with a 38% share in app downloads (higher than the share of UberEats, which doesn’t even measure up to half this figure).
Experts predict that DoorDash will soon become a top-ranked eCommerce platform in its niche.
Founder: Bill Bowerman
Founding Year: Originally founded as "Blue Ribbon Sports" in 1964
Location: Beaverton, Oregon
Monthly Unique Visitors: 8,845,965
Web Sales: >$5B
Order Volume: >50,000
Nike is one of the most aggressive DTC brands that focus on rich consumer experiences across their digital channels. The brand offers high-performance activewear that is fashionable as well.
Experts predict that Nike's revenues are predicted to increase further in the coming years.
Founder: Marta Ortega
Founding Year: Originally founded as "Zorba" in 1975
Location: New York, New York
Monthly Unique Visitors: 5,796,678
Web Sales: >$5B
Order Volume: >50,000
Owned by Inditex Group, Zara is their largest company next to Bershka and also one of the leading fashion eCommerce stores, which have its operations spread across the globe.
The brand managed over 20 collections in apparel in 2020 alone.
Founder: Ryan Cohen, Michael Day
Founding Year: 2011
Location: Dania, Florida
Monthly Unique Visitors: 3,431,912
Web Sales: >$5B
Order Volume: >50,000
As an eCommerce store in the US, Chewy is carving its own niche as one of the leading players in the pets and pet-care category. Being that not many eCommerce stores exist at such a scale in this niche, Chewy is making itself known.
Chewy acquired PetSmart back in 2017 for $3.35B.
Founder: Dan Gilbert, Josh Luber, Greg Schwartz, Chris Kaufman
Founding Year: 2015
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Monthly Unique Visitors: 4,198,935
Web Sales: $1B - $5B
StockX is a young start-up that has revolutionized the e-retail landscape with its unique emulation of stock market dynamics in the eCommerce world.
The company sells limited-edition fashion goods for a bid that is dynamic. In the year 2020, the company made a revenue of over $400M, and by 2021, it had raised a funding of $3.8B.
Founder: Manish Chandra, Tracy Sun, Gautam Golwala, Chetan Pungaliya
Founding Year: 2011
Location: Redwood City, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 3,955,340
Web Sales: $1B - $5B
Order Volume: >50,000
Poshmark is an e-retailer that enables people to resell their used fashion and apparel efficiently.
According to their official reports, the company had a Q4 total revenue of $84.2M in 2021 and an increase in gross merchandise value of 27%.
Founder: Tadashi Yanai
Founding Year: 1974
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Monthly Unique Visitors: 4,333,483
Web Sales: $1B - $5B
Order Volume: >50,000
Uniqlo operates as an eCommerce as well as a brick-and-mortar store, and a majority of its eCommerce business comes from the US. Ever since its inception, this business has taken the "Lifewear" niche seriously and specializes in functional, comfortable fashion.
Founder: Doris F. Fisher and Donald Fisher
Founding Year: 1969
Location: San Francisco, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 3,946,716
Web Sales: >$5B
Order Volume: >50,000
A true American fashion brand, GAP has a strong eCommerce presence.
GAP, as a fashion apparel brand, is competing closely with other names in the niche. Recently, GAP has reopened physical stores in the UK as well.
Founder: David Portnoy
Founding Year: 2003
Location: New York City, New York
Monthly Unique Visitors: 1,733,836
Barstool Sports' eCommerce store specializes in selling sports-themed merchandise to fans. The brand began as a print publication in 2003 and later diversified into eCommerce, in the year 2007.
The company has two subsidiaries: The Water Coolest and Old Row Sports.
Founder: Louis Vuitton
Founding Year: 1854
Location: New York City, New York
Monthly Unique Visitors: 2,830,110
Web Sales: $100M - $250M
Order Volume: 10,000 to 50,000
Louis Vuitton, a premium fashion label in the US, was birthed in Paris by Louis Vuitton. Its trademark label, the founder's initials, appear prominently on all its items - premium leather bags, shoes, accessories, and more.
The eCommerce store is currently doing well, as Bloomberg states its sales saw a boost of 23% in the first quarter of 2022.
Founder: Dick George, Terry Hanson
Founding Year: 1990
Location: Bolingbrook, Illinois
Monthly Unique Visitors: 2,406,684
Web Sales: $1B - $5B
Order Volume: >50,000
Ulta has become a known name in the eCommerce industry for its range of luxury as well as affordable brands in beauty and care products. Today, they own subsidiaries like Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc., and others.
Founder: Adolf Dassler
Founding Year: 1949
Location: Los Angeles, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 2,746,254
Web Sales: $1B - $5B
Order Volume: >50,000
Adidas has always been known to be a high-performance activewear brand.
This premium sportswear brand is making a big splash by announcing a collaboration with Allbirds in Germany for its low-carbon shoe—which is a good move considering the sustainability wave in the world.
Founder: Yvon Chouinard
Founding Year: 1973
Location: Reno, Nevada
Monthly Unique Visitors: 479,273
Web Sales: $250M - $500M
Order Volume: >50,000
Patagonia is a clothing label with a unique motto and core value of caring for the environment—something not many brands are able to consistently maintain.
Even while walking this difficult tightrope, the brand has been able to pull off sustainability with a fashionable flair.
Founder: Palmer Luckey, Brendan Iribe, Michael Antonov, Nate Mitchell
Founding Year: 2012
Location: Menlo Park, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 2,675,718
Web Sales: $500M - $1B
This iconic virtual reality headset brand connects with its consumers directly through a highly fluid and intuitive website.
Recently Oculus has been acquired by Meta; it has launched its new line (and series) of VR headsets called "Quest."
Founder: Eddy Lu, Daishin Sugano
Founding Year: 2015
Location: Los Angeles, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 491,751
Web Sales: $1B - $5B
Order Volume: 10,000 to 50,000
Goat is an eCommerce special store for emblematic sports apparel and sneakers.
It landed a valuation of $3.7B in Series F fundings, achieving funding of $195M. The store has 30M members and around 600,000 sellers.
Founder: Arun Gupta, Julian Connor, Jake Metzger
Founding Year: 2013
Location: New York City, New York
Monthly Unique Visitors: 2,048,689
Web Sales: $500M - $1B
Order Volume: >50,000
Grailed is a unique eCommerce marketplace that lets fashion enthusiasts curate, buy, and sell their unique creations or pieces.
The singularity of this idea has made GRAILED a really popular eCommerce store in the eyes of consumers.
Founder: Roy Raymond
Founding Year: 1977
Location: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Monthly Unique Visitors: 2,105,354
Web Sales: $1B - $5B
Order Volume: >50,000
This intimate fashionwear brand has always been in the news for its uber creative intimate-wear lines. Victoria's Secret has made it known that it has the key to revolutionizing eCommerce in a unique way.
Founder: Walker Williams, Evan Stites-Clayton
Founding Year: 2011
Location: San Francisco, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 1,550,507
Web Sales: $1B - $5B
Order Volume: >50,000
This unique eCommerce platform is all about letting creators design their own merchandise and selling it on the platform to buyers.
The brand houses over 300,000 creators today. In Q2 of 2020, the brand had bagged a 97% compounding growth rate in the creator commerce niche.
Founder: David T. Abercrombie, Ezra Fitch?
Founding Year: 1982
Location: New Albany, Ohio
Monthly Unique Visitors: 2,047,635
Web Sales: $500M - $1B
Order Volume: >50,000
Known as a teenage fashionwear brand in the US, Abercrombie and Fitch has announced their new sub-brand, YPB for activewear, reports Retail Dive.
The brand has also recently been in the news for its inclusivity campaigns.
Founder: Linda Avey and Paul Cusenza
Founding Year: 2006
Location: Sunnyvale, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 616,552
Web Sales: $1B - $5B
This unique direct-to-consumer brand sells DNA ancestry kits to its consumers, helping them discover their ancestry through a simple saliva test. These tests aim to help consumers identify potential traits in their physical appearances and health.
Founder: Niraj Shah and Steve Conine
Founding Year: 2002
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Monthly Unique Visitors: 2,158,723
Web Sales: $500M - $1B
Order Volume: >50,000
The Canadian branch of Wayfair, a home goods and furniture eCommerce store, isn't any far behind its all-American branch. It has been witnessing consistent growth year on year.
Founder: Guccio Gucci
Founding Year: 1921
Location: Secaucus, New Jersey
Monthly Unique Visitors: 2,011,314
Web Sales: $1B - $5B
Order Volume: 10,000 to 50,000
Gucci is a well-known name in the premium fashion label industry and is an iconic brand that is all about celebrity fashion and glamour.
Gucci’s creative designer, Alessandro Michele, will hold his show in Castel Del Monte (Italy) in May 2022.
Founder: Jamie Siminoff
Founding Year: Founded as Doorbot in 2013
Location: Santa Monica, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 2,037,803
Web Sales: $250M - $500M
Ring is a direct-to-consumer brand specializing in electronic monitoring and alert systems for the home and office. It offers products like video doorbells, internet-enabled alarm systems, security cameras, and smart lighting systems for the home and office.
Founder: Kate Hudson, Adam Goldenberg, Don Ressler, Ginger Ressler
Founding Year: 2013
Location: El Segundo, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 513,770
Web Sales: $250M - $500M
Order Volume: 10,000 to 50,000
As the name suggests, this eCommerce brand features activewear for sports and workouts that are fashionable and functional. Goldberg and Ressler wished to launch a fashionable activewear brand, for which they approached Kate Hudson—she liked the idea, and Fabletics was born.
Founder: Richard Saghia
Founding Year: 2006
Location: Vernon, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 2,300,816
Web Sales: $500M - $1B
Order Volume: >50,000
Fashion Nova is an eCommerce store for the fashionistas who love fast fashion and glamorous designs, packing it all in one place.
The store lines up frequent offers and discounts for its shoppers.
Founder: Laura Nelson, John Nelson
Founding Year: 2014
Location: Oxnard, California
Monthly Unique Visitors: 389,984
Web Sales: $250M - $500M
Order Volume: 10,000 to 50,000
This makeup eCommerce brand is an eye-pleaser with its pleasant, popping colors and interesting themed-makeup collections.
The brand focuses on accessible, affordable makeup and in collaboration with social media influencers.
It is evident from the numbers that the DTC niche is rapidly winning consumer favor—and this phenomenon isn't going to slow down.
The names at the top change every day; while some stay close to the top, others navigate a rapid climb or decline, depending on their marketing strategies.
Brands competing with each other are bound to get craftier in driving sales in the near future, and as suit follows, innovation will, too. The world may yet see new business models in the DTC niche, with greater net sales, revenues, and more loyal consumers.
Welcome to the @withassembly family, PipeCandy! #innovation#ecommerce#technews
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