DTC brands are heading to retail

Hallpass launched at Walmart, Curie rebranded for Walmart shoppers, and Little Spoon will have 50 products in Target by year end. The shift marks a major strategy change for emerging brands.

Why retailers matter now

Retail deals instantly make products available to millions of shoppers, forcing brands to rethink their entire marketing and sales playbooks. Scale is now the priority.

Blueland's path to scale

The sustainable cleaning brand started as DTC in 2017, then expanded to Container Store, Costco, Target, Whole Foods, and Kroger. Now it needs to appeal beyond eco-conscious shoppers to compete on shelves.

“We need to drive mass adoption and move beyond the niche appeal that many eco-friendly brands have.”

Getting a buyer's attention

Retail buyers select which brands get shelf space. Getting on their radar is tough but critical. Some brands use LinkedIn outreach, others leverage existing relationships or media moments.

The LinkedIn approach

Beekeeper's Naturals founder Carly Kremer blasted LinkedIn messages to Whole Foods buyers to land her first distribution deal. She called it bootstrappy and scrappy.

“It was so bootstrappy and scrappy.”

Leverage what you know

Hallpass founder Michael Tierney used his prior relationship with Walmart from launching Stuffed Puffs in 2019 to get Hallpass into 4,300 stores. Existing connections matter.

“There's a little bit of running back a playbook that I know.”

A Shark Tank moment helps

Curie founder Sarah Moret appeared on Shark Tank in 2022. A Walmart buyer reached out afterward, landing the brand in 4,300 stores. Media moments can open retail doors.

Build DTC first, then retail

Curie waited until it had an eight-figure DTC business before expanding to retail. Little Spoon held out until it could negotiate a big chunk of shelf space, not just a few products.

“You have to move units and velocities, and I think that is a lot more challenging when you don't have brand equity and brand awareness already built.”

Getting shelf space is easy

The hard part is staying there. Brands must prove high sales velocities, innovation, and marketing. Fail to justify shelf space and retailers can kick you out permanently.

“Getting it onto the shelf is the easy part. Getting it off the shelf is the part that counts.”

Brands must drive their own sales

Retailers no longer invest heavily in brand support. Curie rebranded for Walmart shoppers and ran sampling campaigns with QR codes. Sales grew 29% in the first 30 days.

“It's not going to magically happen, you have to market your products, invest in brand awareness, and invest in driving velocities because the retailers aren't going to do it for you.”

Work closely with buyers

Beekeeper's Naturals now works with retailers on co-branded products and exclusive campaigns. Today it's in 20,000 stores. Buyers have valuable data and category insights.

“It's a reciprocal relationship. We get a lot from our retailers, but we also try to make sure we're supporting them and driving our traffic to them.”

Develop products with retailers

Curie works directly with Walmart buyers to develop new products instead of presenting finished goods. Retailers have insights into what customers want in each category.

“Your buyer has so many insights into the category. More and more retailers are getting creative around new launches and product innovation.”

Retail boosts digital marketing

Blueland's Meta ads drive traffic to its DTC website, but 75% of revenue lift comes from Amazon and other retailers. Retail presence makes digital ads 70% more efficient.

Plan retail expansion carefully

Blueland's CEO warns against rushing into multiple retailers. Once you launch, you can't easily pull back and tweak. Only enter a retailer when you're sure you'll succeed.

Go all-in on one retailer

Curie is heavily leaning into Walmart's beauty expansion. Little Spoon is focused on Target, where it now sells over 1 million dollars per week. Depth beats breadth.

“There's such a huge opportunity for us within Walmart to expand there. For brands like us that are emerging, it just makes sense to invest.”