The news: The Trump administration is mulling new policies to make pharma advertising more difficult, per a Bloomberg report. Our take: RFK previously acknowledged the First Amendment hurdles in an outright pharma ad ban. But if he takes an alternate path with new D2C ad regulations, it’s a win for the industry. Pharma companies can budget for extra media costs of additional TV time and the loss of ad tax deductions, but they get to keep D2C advertising.
Article
| Jun 24, 2025
The news: GoodRx is rolling out a subscription service for erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment. Our take: GoodRx is in a great position to compete with the top D2C telehealth players since consumers are already on the site or app searching for prescription drug discounts—it has over 6 million active monthly consumers who use a coupon code. GoodRx might also be more trusted than pure-play telehealth companies in the eyes of consumers since its services help people save money on their healthcare.
Article
| Jun 10, 2025
The news: Novo Nordisk is terminating its short-lived partnership with Hims & Hers. The drugmaker is accusing Hims of illegally selling knockoff versions of Wegovy, while deceptively marketing its compounded GLP-1 products. Our take: Hims will likely regret its refusal to cooperate with Novo and Eli Lilly, who have taken control of the D2C weight loss drug market.
Article
| Jun 24, 2025
Healthcare costs for Americans who have employer-sponsored health insurance spike 7% annually: Employers will need to be more restrictive with their plan offerings, creating an opportunity for D2C healthcare brands to reel in new customers.
Article
| May 29, 2025
Levi Strauss sharpens its focus: The company agreed to sell Dockers to Authentic Brands as it looks to grow its D2C sales and expand its international presence.
Article
| May 20, 2025
Consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands have attempted to break into D2C ecommerce in recent years, to varying degrees of success. How can they avoid unprofitable strategies and develop a viable D2C ecommerce channel?
Report
| Jun 5, 2023
D2C ecommerce is rapidly evolving, driven by digital marketing, AI-enhanced personalization, sustainability, and more. By identifying and leveraging these emerging trends, businesses can effectively adapt to this competitive environment and address the dynamic expectations of consumers today.
Article
| Apr 19, 2023
Article
| Apr 3, 2025
Rapidly growing healthcare providers are reinvesting in online marketing: Incumbents must embrace social and search marketing to ward off competition from telehealth and D2C providers.
Article
| Apr 15, 2025
Eli Lilly adds Alzheimer’s treatments, resources to D2C platform: Lilly is progressing its D2C online offerings even as lawmakers ramp up scrutiny of drugmaker-telehealth partnerships.
Article
| Mar 28, 2025
Novo Nordisk launches D2C platform, drops price of Wegovy for cash-pay patients: The move could start a marketing showdown—and possible price war—between Novo and Lilly.
Article
| Mar 6, 2025
Walmart to sell Bonobos as digitally native D2C brands lose their luster: WHP Global and Express will acquire the brand for $75 million to shore up the latter’s business.
Article
| Apr 14, 2023
Chart
| Apr 24, 2025
Source: KPMG
Chart
| Apr 24, 2025
Source: KPMG
Nike's recent struggles highlight the risks of an ill-timed shift to direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales. The sportswear giant's sales slumped 10% YoY for the quarter ending August 31 as competitors gained market share.
Article
| Nov 15, 2024
The top two reasons shoppers worldwide buy directly from brands are a better price (53%) and free delivery (49%), followed by fast and convenient delivery and free returns (both 36%), according to Wunderman Thompson.
Article
| Jul 27, 2023
Lawmakers investigate telehealth tie-ups with pharma: Despite more scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest, we expect even more Big Pharma D2C launches this year.
Article
| Mar 14, 2025
Nike is trying to reposition its direct-to-consumer (D2C) segment as a full-price business, starting with its ecommerce channels. Nike Digital went from having over 30 promotional days last January and February in North America to zero, Hill said. That helped boost full-price sales, but not enough: Nike Digital’s North America sales fell 12% YoY during the quarter.
Article
| Mar 21, 2025
Senators reintroduce Drug-price Transparency for Consumers Act: If passed, the Act could empower patients to make informed decisions about their healthcare amid a torrent of direct-to-consumer drug ads.
Article
| Jan 30, 2025
After years of emphasizing direct-to-consumer under former CEO John Donahoe, Nike is now rebalancing its approach. That pivot was evident in the company’s FYQ4 numbers:. Nike Direct revenues fell 14% YoY to $4.4 billion. Wholesale revenues dropped 9% to $6.4 billion. Other Q4 highlights:. Earnings per share were 14 cents, down 86% YoY, but slightly above the expected 13 cents.
Article
| Jun 26, 2025
Dormify complements the company’s existing Pottery Barn Dorm offering, giving it a deeper foothold in the Gen Z and college-age market, which should help it better engage younger shoppers and build long-term brand loyalty.
Article
| May 28, 2025
Sanofi’s Opella secures FDA nod to pursue OTC Cialis study: If Cialis’ shift from a prescription drug to over-the-counter product comes to fruition, both consumers and D2C retailers could benefit.
Article
| Jan 23, 2025
Report
| Jun 20, 2025
In our September 2024 survey with CivicScience, more than three-quarters of respondents said they weren’t comfortable sharing personal information in exchange for enhanced shopping experiences. Consumers were split on expectations of AI’s impact on their lives over the next decade, with 33% taking a very or somewhat negative view versus 37% who had a very or somewhat positive outlook.
Report
| Mar 20, 2025
The news: Target is testing a factory-direct shipping model that would enable it to offer lower-cost products to customers, per Bloomberg. The model, which lets suppliers ship products directly to shoppers, closely resembles the strategy used by Temu and Shein to keep prices low.
Our take: Unfortunately for Target, now is not the best time to increase its reliance on overseas suppliers. While the Temu-Shein model worked spectacularly well for several years, the conditions that fueled their growth—namely, the de minimis exemption and low tariffs—are no longer in place.
Article
| Jun 24, 2025