---
title: "D2C brands: 25 ecommerce examples by category"
description: "D2C brands in the US: 25 direct-to-consumer brand examples by category, with what each sells, where else it sells and what its store shows."
canonical: "https://www.productmetrics.io/blog/d2c-brands"
pageType: article
language: en
publisher: "Product Metrics"
author: "Berend Vrakking"
datePublished: 2026-11-05
dateModified: 2026-11-05
image: "https://www.productmetrics.io/og/blog/d2c-brands.png"
---

> Content index: https://www.productmetrics.io/llms.txt

# D2C brands: 25 ecommerce examples by category

## Key takeaways

- Selling only direct is rare: of 25 US D2C brands checked on 5 November 2026, Quince alone uses neither retailers nor its own shops.
- Shopify powers 20 of the 25 brand stores checked, so in this list the direct channel is usually a Shopify checkout.
- D2C describes the sale, not the company: a Native deodorant bought on nativecos.com is direct; the same stick bought at Target is retail.

D2C brands are companies that sell their own products straight to the people who use them, through a channel they control. Usually that channel is their own online store.

On 5 November 2026 I checked the stores of 25 US brands and recorded every other channel the brand or a retailer lists. 24 of the 25 also sell elsewhere.

## What are D2C brands?

A D2C brand makes or designs its own products and sells them to the end customer, with no retailer taking the order.

What decides it is who takes the order. A Glossier balm bought on glossier.com is a direct sale; the same balm at Sephora is a retail sale.

The [D2C glossary entry](https://www.productmetrics.io/glossary/d2c) covers the full definition and how D2C differs from B2C.

### How do you identify a direct-to-consumer brand?

Four checks identify a direct-to-consumer brand. I ran them on every brand in this list.

**How to identify a direct-to-consumer brand**

1. **Find the brand's own store.** Look for a checkout on the brand's own domain, such as glossier.com, not only a store locator or a list of stockists.
2. **Check that the store sells.** Prices, an add-to-cart button and the brand's own shipping and returns terms show the brand takes the order itself.
3. **List the other channels.** Read the store locator, the stockist page and retailer listings. Selling at Target as well does not stop a brand being D2C.
4. **Date the check.** Channels change over time, so note the date of your check next to what you found.

## What are examples of D2C brands? 25 by category

Glossier, Warby Parker, Casper, Quince and Liquid Death are five examples of D2C brands. The 25 below cover six categories, each checked on 5 November 2026.

This is not a ranking of the best D2C companies. Each brand is here because its direct channel could be checked; sales played no part.

Allbirds and Bombas are left out: Allbirds' store had just changed operator, and Bombas' store blocked my checks.

"Also sells via" lists channels named on the brand's site or a retailer's listing. "What its store shows" is what I saw on the store that day.

### Beauty, personal care and wellness

| Brand | Sells | Also sells via | What its store shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Glossier](https://www.glossier.com/) | Skincare, make-up, fragrance | [Own shops in 9 US cities, Sephora](https://www.glossier.com/pages/locations) | Sets at a saving; buy online, pick up in store |
| [Native](https://www.nativecos.com/) | Deodorant, body wash, hair care | [Target, Walmart](https://www.target.com/b/native/-/N-hkceb) | Scent quiz; 25% off subscriptions |
| [Harry's](https://www.harrys.com/) | Razors and shaving products | [Walmart, Target](https://www.walmart.com/brand/harrys/10026303) | Shave trial; 5% off with any subscription |
| [Ritual](https://ritual.com/) | Vitamins and supplements | [Target](https://www.target.com/c/vitamins-supplements-health/ritual/-/N-5xu07Zq643le6ty65) | Products grouped by need |
| [Therabody](https://www.therabody.com/) | Massage and recovery devices | Best Buy, named on its own store | Product-finder quiz |

Glossier shows how a D2C brand adds retail. Its [Sephora launch in February 2023](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/glossier-launches-in-sephora-us--canada-301754052.html) was, in Glossier's words, its "first-ever retail relationship".

### Apparel

| Brand | Sells | Also sells via | What its store shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Everlane](https://www.everlane.com/) | Clothing and shoes | 11 own stores | Tee bundles |
| [True Classic](https://www.trueclassictees.com/) | Men's T-shirts and basics | [Own stores, Target](https://www.trueclassictees.com/pages/find-at-target) | Build-your-own bundle |
| [Quince](https://www.quince.com/) | Clothing and home goods | [None: online-only by design](https://www.quince.com/quince-offers) | Bundle-and-save offers |

Quince is the only brand here that sells through its own website alone. Its FAQ says skipping physical stores keeps its prices down.

### Eyewear, bags and accessories

| Brand | Sells | Also sells via | What its store shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Warby Parker](https://www.warbyparker.com/) | Glasses, sunglasses, contacts | [Own stores, including shops inside Target](https://stores.warbyparker.com/oh/columbus/1485-polaris-pkwy) | Eye exams in store; virtual try-on; style quiz |
| [Cuyana](https://www.cuyana.com/) | Bags, leather goods, clothing | [5 own stores](https://www.cuyana.com/pages/visit-us) | Monogramming and styling appointments in store |
| [Peak Design](https://www.peakdesign.com/) | Camera bags, travel and phone gear | Own stores, dealers | Colours sold only on its site and in its stores |
| [Nomad](https://nomadgoods.com/) | Phone cases, watch bands, chargers | [Best Buy, REI and other stockists](https://nomadgoods.com/pages/where-we-are-sold) | Products sorted by device model; 2-year warranty |
| [Away](https://www.awaytravel.com/) | Luggage, bags, travel accessories | Own stores, 14 in the US | 20% off bundles with luggage; personalisation |

Accessory brands use their own channels for range. Peak Design keeps three City Line colours for peakdesign.com and its own stores.

### Food and drink

| Brand | Sells | Also sells via | What its store shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Liquid Death](https://liquiddeath.com/) | Canned water, soda, energy drinks | Retailers in its store locator | Merch shop beside the drinks |
| [Magic Spoon](https://magicspoon.com/) | High-protein cereal and snacks | [Target, Walmart](https://www.target.com/p/magic-spoon-chocolate-chip-cookie-grain-free-protein-breakfast-cereal-7oz/-/A-92898139) | Subscribe and save 26%; bowl set with a first order |
| [Olipop](https://drinkolipop.com/) | Prebiotic soda | Retailers in its store finder | Subscriptions; 12-packs |
| [Athletic Brewing](https://www.athleticbrewing.com/) | Non-alcoholic beer | Retailers and bars in its store finder | Online-only 6-packs; club subscription |
| [Graza](https://www.graza.co/) | Olive oil | Retailers in its store locator; wholesale | Subscription; corporate gifting |

Athletic Brewing gives shoppers a reason to buy direct: some of its 6-packs are labelled "Online Only".

### Home, sleep and kitchen

| Brand | Sells | Also sells via | What its store shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Casper](https://casper.com/) | Mattresses, bedding, furniture | [Casper Sleep Shops, Mattress Firm and other retailers](https://stores.casper.com/) | 100-night trial; mattress quiz |
| [Purple](https://purple.com/) | Mattresses and pillows | Authorised retail stores | 100-night trial; mattress quiz |
| [Brooklinen](https://www.brooklinen.com/) | Bedding and bath | [Own stores](https://www.brooklinen.com/pages/our-stores) | Bundle and save |
| [Our Place](https://fromourplace.com/) | Cookware | [Nordstrom](https://www.nordstrom.com/browse/home?filterByBrand=our-place) | 100-day trial; bundles |
| [Caraway](https://www.carawayhome.com/) | Ceramic cookware | [Amazon, Target, Walmart and others](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/caraway-home-enters-powered-appliances-with-its-first-ever-coffee-maker-302885908.html) | Cookware quiz; 30-day trial |

### Pet

| Brand | Sells | Also sells via | What its store shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Wild One](https://wildone.com/) | Dog and cat harnesses, leashes, toys | Retailers in its store finder | Walk kits at a saving |
| [Ollie](https://www.myollie.com/) | Fresh dog food | [Petco](https://www.ollie.com/petco/) | A meal plan built per dog; flexible subscription |

## Where else do D2C brands sell?

24 of the 25 D2C brands also sell somewhere other than their own website: 19 through retailers and 5 through their own shops.

**Figure: Where 25 D2C brands sell besides their own website.** Retailers are the usual second channel: 19 brands sell through chains such as Target, Sephora or Petco, while Quince sells from its website alone.

![Bar chart of where 25 US D2C brands sell besides their own website: 1 sells only online, 5 add their own stores and 19 also sell through retailers, checked 5 November 2026.](https://www.productmetrics.io/images/blog/d2c-brands/d2c-brands-other-channels.webp)

| Channels besides the brand's website | Brands |
| --- | --- |
| Own website only | 1 |
| Website and own stores | 5 |
| Website and other retailers | 19 |

_Source: Product Metrics review of brand websites and retailer listings, 5 Nov 2026_

Retail rarely replaces the direct store. Ollie added Petco and [still sells its plans online](https://www.ollie.com/petco/).

That mix makes product economics hard. One product sold on the brand's site, at Target and through Google Shopping ads has a different margin in each channel.

The ads only pay off for products whose margin can carry them. Checking that by hand across hundreds of products doesn't scale.

> **Grow revenue with the products that win customers.** Every product segmented on your own data, so the best performers get more priority. [Analyse your products for free](https://app.productmetrics.io/) Log in with Google, no credit card.

[Product Segmentation](https://www.productmetrics.io/product-segmentation) puts each advertised product in one of six segments by clicks and return. Products that earn their ad spend get more priority.

The [Shopping and Performance Max structure guide](https://www.productmetrics.io/blog/product-segmentation-google-shopping-pmax) shows how to build campaigns on those segments.

## What platform do D2C brands use?

Shopify runs 20 of the 25 D2C brand stores in this list.

I read each store's page source for Shopify's storefront code, or for Hydrogen, Shopify's headless framework.

**Figure: Which platform 25 D2C brand stores run on.** Shopify runs 20 of the 25 stores: 17 on its standard online store and 3 on Hydrogen, Shopify's headless framework. Two use a custom front end and 3 could not be read.

![Bar chart of the store platforms of 25 US D2C brands: 17 Shopify online store, 3 Shopify Hydrogen, 2 custom front end and 3 not determined, checked 5 November 2026.](https://www.productmetrics.io/images/blog/d2c-brands/d2c-brands-store-platform.webp)

| Store platform | Brands |
| --- | --- |
| Shopify online store | 17 |
| Shopify Hydrogen | 3 |
| Custom front end | 2 |
| Not determined | 3 |

_Source: Product Metrics review of storefront page source, 5 Nov 2026_

Caraway, Peak Design and Nomad run on Hydrogen. Quince and Ollie use custom front ends without Shopify markers.

Harry's, Purple and Warby Parker blocked the check or served another country's site.

## How do D2C brands stand out?

Bundles are the most common pattern: 11 of the 25 stores sell sets or bundles at a saving.

| Pattern | Brands | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Bundles or sets at a saving | 11 | Glossier, Native, Away, Wild One |
| Own shops | 9 | Warby Parker, Everlane, Cuyana, Peak Design |
| Subscriptions | 7 | Harry's, Magic Spoon, Graza, Ollie |
| Quiz or product finder | 6 | Native, Casper, Caraway, Therabody |
| Trial period | 4 | Casper, Purple, Our Place, Caraway |

Each pattern answers a doubt about buying from a brand you can't touch first.

A quiz narrows the choice. A 100-night trial removes the risk of a mattress bought online, and a subscription turns one order into repeat purchases.

These are observations of the stores; they don't show what drives sales.

Which of these to use, and which channels to pay for, is a planning question. The [D2C marketing strategy guide](https://www.productmetrics.io/blog/d2c-marketing-strategy) works through it from [contribution margin](https://www.productmetrics.io/glossary/contribution-margin "Contribution margin is the revenue from a sale minus its variable costs, such as product cost, shipping, payment fees and returns.").

For the paid side, [ecommerce PPC by product profit](https://www.productmetrics.io/blog/ecommerce-ppc-profitability) shows which products can carry their ad cost.

## Final thoughts

The D2C brands worth copying use their own store to sell what retail can't: bundles, subscriptions, exclusive colours and advice. Very few rely on it alone.

If you run a D2C brand with Google Shopping ads, check which products earn their ad spend before you add another channel.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Amazon a D2C brand?

Amazon is mainly a retailer and a marketplace, so a product bought on Amazon is usually not a direct sale for the brand that made it. Amazon runs the checkout and holds the customer relationship. The exception is Amazon's own brands, such as Amazon Basics, sold on Amazon: there the maker and the seller are the same company.

### Is Nike a D2C brand?

Nike sells both ways. Shoes bought on nike.com or in a Nike store are a direct-to-consumer sale; the same shoes bought at a sports retailer are a wholesale sale. Nike's annual report shows the two separately, as NIKE Direct and wholesale revenue.

### Is every ecommerce brand a D2C brand?

No. An online shop that resells other companies' products is a retailer, even when it sells only online. A brand is D2C when it sells its own products to the end customer through a channel it controls, online or in its own shops.

## Keep reading.

- [D2C marketing strategy: a practical plan for ecommerce](https://www.productmetrics.io/blog/d2c-marketing-strategy)
- [What is nCAC? New customer acquisition cost explained](https://www.productmetrics.io/blog/what-is-ncac)
- [Marketing efficiency ratio: how to calculate and use it](https://www.productmetrics.io/blog/marketing-efficiency-ratio)

---

Written by Berend Vrakking, founder of Product Metrics. Last updated 2026-11-05.

1M+ products analysed · Nominated at the Dutch Search Awards for Best Measurement Campaign (2023) and Best Use of Data (2024)

HTML version: https://www.productmetrics.io/blog/d2c-brands