---
id: "prereq-dtc-model"
type: "prereq"
source_timestamps: ["¶2", "¶3"]
source_title: "The Comeback of the Physical Store—and What It Means for Your Business"
source_url: "https://hbr.org/2026/04/the-comeback-of-the-physical-store-and-what-it-means-for-your-business"
tags: ["business-models", "e-commerce"]
related: ["concept-dtc-stall", "entity-allbirds"]
reason: "The article frames the store's comeback as a direct counter-narrative to the presumed dominance of DTC brands."
sources: ["tail1"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-tail1"
originDay: 1
articleStem: "hbr-tail-114-comeback-physical-store"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/04/the-comeback-of-the-physical-store-and-what-it-means-for-your-business"
sourceTitle: "The Comeback of the Physical Store—and What It Means for Your Business"
---
# Familiarity with the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) model

**Why it's required:** The article frames the physical store's comeback as a direct counter-narrative to the presumed dominance of **Direct-to-Consumer (DTC)** brands — Warby Parker, [[entity-allbirds|Allbirds]], Glossier, Casper, Wayfair.

A DTC brand sells directly to end customers (typically online), bypassing wholesale and traditional retail, owning the customer relationship and data but also absorbing acquisition, fulfillment, and returns costs. Understanding this model is prerequisite to seeing why its economics stalled ([[concept-dtc-stall]]) and why former DTC 'darlings' are now adding physical stores.