Is DTC E-Commerce Dead In 2025? #ecommerce #shopify #shopifyplus #klaviyo #finance #paidads

Welcome to the Ecom Scaling Show, brought to you by Free To Grow CFO and Aplo Group! Join hosts Jon Blair (Founder, Free to Grow CFO) and Dylan Byers (Co-founder, Aplo Group) as we dive into the crucial, yet often missing, link between marketing and finance in DTC e-commerce.

This week we’re diving into whether DTC (direct-to-consumer) is dead or thriving. The hosts explore the challenges and opportunities for beverage brands, how unit economics and TAM play into channel strategy, and why some products succeed in DTC while others fail. They highlight pricing power, shipping logistics, and category differences (beverages, apparel, CPG) and share lessons on content, community, and ad strategy. The conversation offers a realistic framework for founders deciding whether DTC should be their primary growth channel or a complement to retail/wholesale.

00:00 – Direct-to-Consumer Pitfalls for Beverage Brands (DTC Challenges)
02:51 – Why DTC May Not Be the Best Growth Channel
05:42 – Most Likely Products to Succeed in Direct-to-Consumer
08:33 – Retail Distribution Challenges and Pain Points
11:24 – Competing in DTC: Why It’s Not for the Faint of Heart
14:15 – Low LTV Problems in Subscription and DTC Models
17:06 – Paid Media Spend and Scaling DTC Profitably
19:57 – Supplier Chains, Global Sourcing, and DTC Logistics
22:48 – How Competition Drives Down Margins in DTC
25:39 – Final Takeaways: The Future of Direct-to-Consumer Brands

Free To Grow CFO: https://freetogrowcfo.com/
Aplo Group: https://www.aplogroup.com/
Jon Blair on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-albert-blair/
Dylan Byers on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-byers-046010149/

#ecommerce #dtc #shopify #scalingyourbrand #cfo #aplobrand #marketingvsfinance #dtcstrategy #ecomgrowth #dtcmarketing #adspend #creativebudget #agencyvsinhouse #growthforecasting #contributionmargin #demandplanning #shopifyplus #ecommercefinance #mediaefficiency