The harsh reality that many brands have been faced with in this crisis is that they had put all their eggs in the same basket; for example, Amazon, e-Retail, or Direct to Consumer (DTC). This has brought them the problem that, if that channel presented problems, the brands were left without the possibility of selling. Similarly, many DTC vendors faced the challenge of not having distribution diversification: if their distribution center closed, they simply had no way to get the product to the consumer.
The e-commerce value chain is just that: a chain, and like any chain, is only as strong as its weakest link. And when distribution is out of a brand’s control, it can be very problematic. We should expect that, after the Covid-19 crisis, the points of sale will proliferate; in fact, this will mean the acceleration of e-commerce models with multiple points of sale that build multiple fluid routes to market and reduce dependence on any one channel Gulf Phone Number List. It also means that many brands will explore the DTC more seriously as a business driver, and not as a show of vanity.
