Warby Parker

The upside for online sales may be lower than many retailers anticipated. Physical stores and social commerce could make up the gap.

Warby Parker, Everlane and other brands are partnering with small, but buzzy fashion labels as an inexpensive way to find new customers, and regain some status with shoppers who have moved on.

Warby Parker’s continued brick-and-mortar expansion has given two of its less recognisable digitally-native peers — Zenni Optical and Eyebuydirect — a chance to raise their profiles among online shoppers.

Brands like Warby Parker, Allbirds and Olaplex have successfully slashed digital advertising costs. Now they need to figure out new ways to find customers.

DTC brands and e-commerce platforms delivered some rare good news this week in the form of shrinking losses, but investors were largely unimpressed.

As online advertising remains expensive and crowded, digital brands continue to invest in physical stores to drive customer growth. Warby Parker and Allbirds provide disparate case studies for how to navigate physical retail.

With an uncertain economic outlook, digital brands are forced to make tough calls on whether to cut back on marketing at the expense of growth or continue to spend and accept lower profits.

A growing number of direct-to-consumer brands have found a winning retail formula by putting a modern spin on routine services such as piercings and eye exams.

Mounting customer acquisition costs and a pressure to grow fast have made it hard to build a profitable DTC business. BoF deputy editor Brian Baskin and retail correspondent Cathaleen Chen join Lauren Sherman to analyse the past, present and future of the market.

The fashion brands and platforms reporting results this week have been hit hard by slowing e-commerce growth – with one exception. Plus, your calendar for the coming week’s most important events.