How D2C disruptors are faring—and how they stack up against established brands

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Direct-to-consumer (D2C) ecommerce growth has slowed since 2020, but the leading digitally native brands remain popular. In December 2021, the Peloton website raked in 6.7 million visits worldwide, far more than the sites of Warby Parker, Casper, and other top digital natives in the D2C space.

Beyond the chart: Peloton’s revenues plunged in its most recent quarter after months of decelerating growth. But these growing pains are expected as the brand comes down from its 2020 highs, according to Andrew Lipsman, principal analyst at Insider Intelligence. As Peloton and its digital-first peers seek out new growth avenues, it is mass-market brands that will drive the majority of US D2C ecommerce sales this year—75.5% of the $155.69 billion in sales, per our estimates. These established brands are adopting D2C strategies to shorten the path to purchase while sidestepping the issues of scale that hamper many disruptor brands.

More like this:

• Report: D2C Brands 2022
• Podcast: Reimagining Retail: Where D2C brands are headed and which 5 are most likely to endure
• Article: As Nike pulls away from wholesale, sports apparel brands sense an opportunity