蘑菇AV

We typically do the most Chase volume with our D2C business units. I think what's interesting is when you look at D2C, we're really, really proud that our digital business in total is going to make up almost 50% of the total this year. Suzy Davidkhanian (05:35):. Wow. Sara Lebow (05:35):. Wow. Kristen D鈥橝rcy (05:35):.

Red Seat鈥檚 success in direct-to-consumer media and independent ad sales could help Fox monetize digital audiences more effectively, complementing its streaming and ad-supported media strategy. By acquiring Red Seat Ventures, Fox isn鈥檛 just expanding its content portfolio鈥攊t鈥檚 staking a claim in the growing host-driven podcast industry which offers unique monetization opportunities.

Embedding direct-to-consumer products into HR software platforms such as payroll systems, benefits administration tools, and employee self-service portals, making it easy for employees to access and enroll in coverage. Next steps: To learn more about offering life insurance products on partners鈥� platforms, read our  鈥淓mbedded Life Insurance鈥� report next.

This year鈥檚 festival highlighted a maturing creator economy, a reality check for AI, and bigger and bolder brand activations and marketing trends.

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鈥攏amely, the de minimis exemption and low tariffs鈥攁re no longer in place.

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Our take: Kohl鈥檚 is in a tough position, facing fierce competition from off-price retailers, direct-to-consumer brands, and mass merchants like Amazon. To fend off those merchants, Buchanan must sharply define Kohl鈥檚 own identity, rather than relying on the strength and brand equity of other brands to bolster its appeal.

Nike resumes selling on Amazon as tariffs threaten its turnaround: The brand is betting that an expanded retail presence will soften the blow of higher prices.

Bringing sexy back: Victoria鈥檚 Secret has been playing defense for a few years as D2C brands like Parade and celebrity-backed labels like Fenty took the limelight. But the company recently reinserted itself back into the cultural conversation thanks to a familiar playbook.

And Vice President-elect JD Vance said on the campaign trail that he would explore stricter regulations of D2C pharma advertising. Bills to restrict or prohibit D2C drug ads have been introduced in the past yet typically lacked support from GOP lawmakers. But if a Republican-led administration pushes for a ban, previously hesitant members of Congress could be swayed.

Meanwhile, WBD鈥檚 Max and Discovery+ platforms added 6.4 million global subscribers, contributing to the company鈥檚 first full year of direct-to-consumer profitability. However, WBD is pulling live sports and CNN from its ad-supported tier, which could challenge user retention. Traditional TV鈥檚 decline is accelerating the industry鈥檚 restructuring.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss how department stores are getting on, how they鈥檙e evolving, and what the contemporary department store needs to do to stick around. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Vice President of Content Suzy Davidkhanian and Senior Analyst Carina Perkins.

Evolve Bank & Trust dropped Synapse as a partner in 2022 to work directly with a D2C fintech but was still stung by its own failures. In June, Evolve was slapped with a Fed enforcement action due to alleged extensive safety and soundness shortfalls distinct from its tie-up with Synapse.

So this is early on in the D2C days and I just looked at it and I said, "Look, there is something promising here, but the way this is being executed, it's not going to work. We can fix it. I think this has got potential, but we have to do some things before this launches because this will fail straight out the gate.". You didn't know what to do.