Shopper-Led Channel Sequence
Add sales channels as awareness and shopper behavior justify them
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 95%
The Shopper-Led Channel Sequence treats direct-to-consumer, marketplaces, and retail as routes to the shopper rather than identities for the company. Map where customers in the category actually buy, then begin in a channel the company can control and use to build demand and awareness. Once recognition and purchase evidence exist, add the channels customers prefer for convenience. Approach physical retail after the brand has enough awareness to reduce the risk of sitting unnoticed on shelves. Selected retailers can also function as marketing by putting the product in front of influential or relevant shoppers. Suri's co-founders said they started DTC, used Meta to build awareness, later added Amazon, and found retailers more receptive once the brand had traction. They framed omnichannel strategy as shopper strategy, not indiscriminate availability.
Origin
Suri's co-founders described starting DTC, adding Amazon after awareness grew, and pursuing retail once the brand had enough recognition to interest stores and avoid sitting unknown on shelves.
Core principles
- 01A brand is not the same thing as a channel
- 02Distribution should follow how customers prefer to shop
- 03Direct channels can build early awareness and evidence
- 04Retail performs better when shoppers already recognize the brand
- 05Selective retail can create awareness beyond its direct sales
How to run it
- 1
Map shopper behavior
Identify where people in the category discover products, compare alternatives, and complete purchases. Quantify important channels where possible.
Pro tip Follow the shopper's category behavior rather than a fashionable channel label.
Watch out A broad market statistic may not describe your exact target customer.
- 2
Build through control
Start in a channel that lets the brand test its offer, create awareness, and gather purchase evidence. Use that traction to strengthen later channel conversations.
Pro tip Suri used DTC media to create awareness before broader distribution.
Watch out Starting direct does not mean the brand must remain direct-only.
- 3
Add customer convenience
Enter marketplaces or other channels when customers clearly prefer to shop there. Preserve the brand proposition while adapting operations to the channel.
Watch out Do not add a channel solely because a competitor uses it.
- 4
Earn retail readiness
Approach retailers with awareness, sales evidence, and a reason shoppers will recognize the product. Treat early rejection as information about readiness, not necessarily a final refusal.
Pro tip Demonstrate how existing media can support sell-through.
Watch out Unknown products can sit on shelves without generating demand.
- 5
Use placement strategically
Select some retailers for both sales and awareness among relevant shoppers. Measure whether placement contributes direct purchases, recognition, or later sales elsewhere.
Pro tip A strategically visible store may influence demand outside that store.
Watch out Attribution across channels will be imperfect.
In the wild
The co-founders said Suri began as a DTC-only business and used Meta to grow awareness. Amazon was added after the brand had traction and customers wanted its convenience. Retailers that had initially dismissed the unknown company became more willing to talk later, while selected stores were also viewed as awareness channels.
→ Suri developed a multi-channel presence aligned with the co-founders' account of shopper behavior and brand readiness.
Common mistakes
Turning a channel into the brand
Calling the company a DTC brand can obscure where customers actually prefer to buy. The channel serves the brand, not the reverse.
Entering retail without awareness
The co-founders warned that an unfamiliar product can sit on the shelf because shoppers have no reason to choose it.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for consumer products bought across direct websites, marketplaces, and physical retailers.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for products whose economics, regulation, or customer journey make additional channels unsuitable.
From the transcript
“D2C is a channel”
“we started DTC only”
“an omni channel strategy is really just to think about a shopper strategy”
From the episode
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