Wholesale is for breadth, DTC is for depth

Every sales channel has its purpose. In the case of the wholesale/DTC conundrum (no matter whether we’re talking about physical or digital DTC), most brands should think about is as a breadth vs. depth distinction:

• Wholesale allows you to reach a very broad set of customers in a very short amount of time. At the same time, it doesn’t give you much data or many opportunities to connect with those customers.
• DTC is harder to pull off because you need to bring customers to your own channel, but it gives you a lot of first-party data and allows you to completely own the customer experience.

At the same time, you should also be mindful that Wholesale boosts brand awareness, which in turn will bring people into your channels. That’s why Sales channels must be integrated, so that you can amplify that effect even further.