Since the beginning of 2020, a new phenomenon is happening. Large brands (think PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, Nestle) are opening direct to consumer websites. The same brands remain committed to their wholesaling and retail partners. Why is DTC for these brands a big deal?
If the small upstart disrupts the large incumbent its worth a lot of PR yet an incumbent can be nimble its panic. What is going on here?
Let me start off by saying that this is a topic that is very close to my heart. I work in the ecommerce space and believe that the lines between offline and online commerce is steadily falling away. When eBay did their results presentation earlier in the year, the online and offline relationship got a fair amount of coverage.
Walmart is the biggest retailer in the world and arguable the most controversial. Labor disputes and being in the news not for financial results seems to happen fairly often.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 9,600 retail units under 69 different banners in 28 countries. With fiscal year 2011 sales of $419 billion, Walmart employs more than two million associates worldwide. Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.