Problem: Testing out the products of Direct to Consumer online brands requires having a package or product shipped to you. Additionally, D2C brands do not have access to consumers who don’t have reliable internet connections.
Solution: A centralized, physical store that is stocked with Direct to Consumer brands (here’s a list of the “133 coolest”) where people can discover new D2C brands and actually physically touch them and try them out in the store. Imagine a place with your Allbirds, Casper, and more in one place outside of the internet. The purpose of the store would be both product discovery and product testing for consumers. Moreover, it would give D2C stores insights into consumers that they traditionally would not see or have access to (especially given the fact that 10% of American’s still do not have reliable internet access). Perhaps to start, these Physi-D2C-stores are only put in places with poor connectivity.
Monetization: A percentage of revenues from products sold in store or a margin based on product prices (here’s a short description about how grocery stores make money).
Contributed by: Billion Dollar Startup Ideas