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鈥淐onsumer acquisition costs have gone up. Data is harder and harder to access. It鈥檚 trickier to figure out how to target our consumer in the right way.鈥� That鈥檚 Kendra Scott鈥檚 CMO Michelle Peterson, summarizing the state of marketing right now. The jeweler has found success both online and in-store by leveraging its D2C roots, pushing a viral TikTok presence, and working with the right influencers.

D2C brands, as well as some larger brands like McDonald鈥檚, have been eager to experiment with AppLovin and have seen good initial results. But it鈥檚 an open question as to whether those results will improve with more data or worsen as more ads appear.

Digitally native D2C brands embrace traditional retail strategies: More are inking partnerships with retailers like Amazon and Walmart to expand their reaches and offset soaring acquisition costs.

We expect more pharma players to join the D2C market this year. Their aim is to build trust and customer loyalty鈥攅specially as access to traditional care and treatment worsens and gets more expensive.

For a brand like Kettle & Fire, which began as direct-to-consumer before expanding into retail, the transition to retail media required developing frameworks for channel prioritization and budget allocation. Niccol貌 Gloazzo, senior director of media and omnichannel at Kettle & Fire, recommends starting at the bottom of the funnel first.

The three telehealth companies will integrate with Novo鈥檚 new D2C online pharmacy, NovoCare, to complete medication orders. Zooming in: Novo鈥檚 tie-up with Hims is the most surprising piece of this news considering their public feud over Hims selling compounded semaglutide (Wegovy).

Our thought bubble: Drugmakers in the D2C market want to funnel people to their online platforms where folks can order health products, schedule services, and access educational resources. Novo just recently joined the D2C space, but might be purposely avoiding tie-ups with telehealth companies amid senators鈥� increased scrutiny of such deals.

This approach allows them to test new styles in their direct-to-consumer (D2C) channels before potentially expanding successful items across their 50+ US stores and ecommerce platform. D'Arcy said this responsiveness helps them stay relevant while maintaining their core identity. "The chase program means that we are looking at trends that are happening right now in the market," she said.

The news: Acadia has acquired Crush, an Amazon-focused consultancy built for mid-market and direct-to-consumer brands, Adweek reports. It鈥檚 Acadia鈥檚 sixth deal since launching in 2021. Co-founded by former 360i CEO Jared Belsky, Acadia derives nearly half its headcount, profit, and revenues from retail media and marketplaces.

The news: Embattled direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe filed for federal bankruptcy protection and announced the resignation of CEO Anne Wojcicki. 23andMe鈥檚 stock plummeted nearly 60% on Monday following its Sunday night filing. How we got here: 23andMe was a market trailblazer in the DNA testing segment, becoming the first company to sell FDA-approved genetic tests to consumers.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our 鈥淩etail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.鈥�

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.鈥�

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands calibrate their sales mix against the market.

This is the Q2 2025 installment of our "Retail and Ecommerce Sales Benchmarks鈥� series, which helps retailers and brands gauge their sales mix against the market.

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鈥檚 North America sales fell 12% YoY during the quarter.

The final word: Amazon鈥檚 healthcare strategy is advancing, with D2C telehealth and primary care now established and pharmacy sales growing (from $1.25 billion in 2023 to $1.8 billion in 2024, per Business Insider). The Health AI chatbot for search and medical advice could be the virtual consumer concierge to amplify engagement and increase sales.

Others that are more reliant on D2C brands or cross-border commerce may face increased headwinds. Click here to view our full forecast for US digital ad spending, by tariff scenario.

If Disney鈥檚 standalone D2C ESPN app ever comes to fruition, it would likely become a disruptive player very quickly. People who watch Netflix love it. Netflix鈥檚 active users are deeply engaged, and its user base is so large that it also leads in time spent for the whole country.