A youthful revolution

Nearly all of these DTC-favoring trends are being driven in part by younger consumers. In the GfK study, Americans in the 18-to-35 age group are much more likely than those 51-to-65 to say they are DTC buyers, switched from a traditional brand to a DTC one, and/or will buy more DTC after the pandemic. (See Chart 3)

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– Anim Haroon, Constellation Brands

These younger consumers are also more engaged with intangible brand elements, such as social issues. According to GfK Consumer Life, younger consumers are much more likely to say that they only buy from brands that support the causes that they do.And the latest GfK Green Gauge report shows that Millennials are the generation most likely to take the environment into account when making purchases (44% in 2021), and to say they do volunteer work related to the environment (31%). Many DTC-native brands have already taken on the mantles of sustainability and social justice, creating deeper bonds with many of their most passionate consumers. Shoes from Allbirds, for example, are made from recycled and recyclable ingredients such as recycled bottles and cardboard and castor bean oil. And Blueland sells eco-friendly cleaning products, making carbon-neutral shipping and refillable bottles essential parts of their business model.

“From a values perspective, and from a brand positioning perspective, there is a lot more wiggle room and creativity that can be allowed for DTC brands to introduce themselves to the world.”

– Tara Nolan

“It's super important for them to be fully transparent; sustainability has to be part of their mission. It can't be an add-on, because consumers really do see through that – especially the younger consumers.”