Welcome to The Week in Direct-to-Consumer, a weekly roundup for marketers from Quad Insights that sums up the latest news in the DTC space.
Footwear companies partner with non-profit EarthDNA to form The Footwear Collective
Brooks Running, Crocs, ECCO, New Balance, On, Reformation, Target and Vibram just announced a partnership with non-profit EarthDNA to launch The Footwear Collective, an initiative “dedicated to uniting the global footwear industry to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.” Collective companies will leverage EarthDNA’s data-driven platform to reduce emissions, minimize waste and strive toward a circular footwear industry (i.e., an industry that maximizes the recyclability of its products).
The initiative highlights an industry trend toward prioritizing sustainability. In the past six months, Brooks Running launched ReStart — a U.S. refurbishment and reselling program aimed at extending the life of gently worn shoes, Crocs rolled out its Retail Takeback Pilot Program in a step toward a circular system, and On announced that it is on pace to achieve 100% recycled polyester by 2024, as we noted in an earlier installment of The Week in Direct-to-Consumer.
Related coverage:
- “Target, New Balance Among New Collective of Brands Pushing Circular Footwear” (Business of Fashion)
Wonder Group partners with Nestlé
DTC food delivery company Wonder Group has partnered with Nestlé. Nestlé will invest $100 million, per CNBC’s Melissa Repko, who notes that the two companies will partner to “sell high-tech kitchen equipment and food to businesses such as hotels, hospitals and sports arenas.”
In addition to this partnership, Wonder Group accelerated its expansion strategy with a recent acquisition of Blue Apron, as we noted in an earlier installment of The Week in Direct-to-Consumer.
Related coverage:
- “Nestlé backs food delivery start-up Wonder Group” (Just Food)
- “Nestlé invests, partners with food-delivery startup Wonder Group” (Food Dive)
Knix tackles perimenopause taboos with The Invisible Period campaign
DTC underwear brand Knix just announced the launch of The Invisible Period campaign with the goal of destigmatizing perimenopause. Countering “taboos around the female body” and furthering consumer education are central to the brand’s mission, Glossy’s Sara Spruch-Feiner reports, noting that the new campaign will leverage social media platforms to raise perimenopause awareness. The ad campaign coincides with the launch of Knix’s Zones+ Ultra Leakproof underwear.
Sur La Table partners with Walmart GoLocal for same-day delivery
Just in time for the holiday season, specialty kitchenware retailer Sur La Table has partnered with Walmart GoLocal to offer same-day delivery. All U.S. orders within 20 miles of a Sur La Table retail location and placed before 2:30 p.m. local time will be eligible for the service. Known for its brick-and-mortar stores and experiences such as cooking classes, the announcement comes as Sur La Table boosts its DTC strategy, adding same-day delivery to a same-day in-store pickup option already available on the retailer’s website.
Related coverage:
- “Sur La Table rolling out same-day delivery via Walmart partnership” (Chain Store Age)
Further reading
- “Kendra Scott Is Getting Into Fragrance” (Women’s Wear Daily)
- “Warby Parker opened 11 new stores in Q3, raises full-year guidance” (Retail Dive)
- “Allbirds just launched the Wool Runner 2, an upgrade to its most popular sneaker” (CNN)
- “How KiwiCo is using Instagram Reels to acquire new customers” (Modern Retail)
- “Spotify Will Begin Dropping Capsule Collections With Top Artists on Its Platform” (Hypebeast)
- “Caryn Wasser weaves education and community into Little Spoon’s marketing” (Ad Age)
- “Digital Brands Group to explore strategic alternatives” (Retail Insight Network)
Thanks for reading. We’ll see you next week.
If you’d like to catch up on prior installments of this column, start by heading to last week’s recap: “The Week in Direct-to-Consumer: November 3, 2023 edition”
