The Take Timeline

Retail & Wholesale

How the cowboys’ take on Retail & Wholesale has evolved.

1. 2026-01-24moderate 75%

   Getting into major retailers like Costco requires brands to generate their own demand; shelf space alone doesn't move product.

   when the moon units don't move because it's a product on Costco that's not clearly on the front end or something that someone's always looking for. Well now we have to go back and we have to generate demand ourselves

2. 2026-01-28moderate 72%

   Transitioning from DTC to retail requires entirely new skills and industry terminology that differs fundamentally from e-commerce expertise

   felt like a fish out of water... so many different new skills... the terminology that they use in that space is totally different than what we use

3. 2026-01-28high confidence 85%

   Retail shelf presence provides tangible, emotionally resonant brand validation that online metrics cannot match

   The coolest most rewarding part... they see our brand, end cap, main aisle, top shelf... Holy cow, that this is real. Like, it becomes tangible.

4. 2026-02-10Predictionmoderate 62%

   If Amazon successfully scales their Super Center retail concept, they could dominate consumer retail and eclipse Walmart.

   if Amazon can prove a retail concept that works, it makes me wonder if we're going to be living in the future of Wall-E where everyone and everything. Bezos, he's he's coming for everybody.

5. 2026-02-13moderate 62%

   Getting major retailers to carry your product is extremely difficult, but once achieved it generates massive scale through their promotional reach to millions.

   Getting into those retailers is extremely difficult. And once you it you know, we're on their website. They're showing ads to millions of women

6. 2026-02-14moderate 55%

   Big box retailers now directly require brands to invest in influencer marketing for retail store activations.

   direct from our clients are saying our buyers are wondering how much are we spending on influencers like that's like direct from big box retailers saying we want to see you invest in our store

7. 2026-02-17moderate 65%

   Premium brands can expand revenue through corporate B2B channels like uniforms and employee outfitting

   Scene Studio now outfits Michelin star chefs... all of the execs at this luxury car company... getting into uniforms and how they can outfit entire

8. 2026-03-10moderate 64%

   Physical retail may be due for a revival, and DTC brands beyond just the biggest winners should consider opening their own retail space, not only the most successful ones.

   perhaps there is chance for a revival of sorts for retail... even for others that are still on the up-and-coming and the rise, why not create a retail space

9. 2026-03-11moderate 55%

   Naughty Ice Cream is intentionally stair-stepping its retail door expansion to build strong velocity and consumer relationships rather than sprinting to mass distribution.

   really good solid velocity in all the doors we're in. Instead of just taking a massive risk very fast... doing it in a very strategic way where stair-stepping.

10. 2026-03-12moderate 65%

    Chomps' existing Costco shelf presence and distribution scale make its new SKU launch almost guaranteed to succeed regardless of other factors.

    they also have the distribution in Costco already to put this thing out... I think distribution is kind of the end-all be-all

11. 2026-03-17moderate 68%

    Landing in front of Whole Foods and Sprouts buyers at the Fancy Food Show was a pivotal, well-timed move that positioned the brand for its retail breakthrough.

    We launched at the Fancy Food Show in 2024 and Whole Foods buyers were there. Sprouts buyers were there and a month after that

12. 2026-03-25moderate 70%

    Landing a first major retail placement like Erewhon is driven more by luck and timing than by having a polished data story.

    It's all about data story, which is what people will tell you. I mean, for us, it was really luck and timing

13. 2026-03-26moderate 72%

    There is significant white space in collegiate licensed headwear because most competitors sell primarily through brick-and-mortar while the brand runs 90-95% direct-to-consumer.

    we're doing 90 95% direct consumer... most of the brands that are competitors or like-minded companies in the space are products through largely brick and mortar stores

14. 2026-04-02high confidence 80%

    Allbirds' rushed move from DTC into wholesale/retail created strains it couldn't handle, especially given footwear sizing complexity, and going public was more of a cash grab than a sound strategy.

    moving from D2C to retail. Wholesale presents incredible growth, but if not done right, can lead to massive strains that most likely, and I very much did play out, especially in an industry like footwear

15. 2026-04-07moderate 65%

    Gruns' move into 1,400 Ulta stores is a strong physical-retail expansion that complements its existing Costco presence.

    I think it's great presence for them in addition to Costco.

16. 2026-04-15moderate 73%

    Bucket Golf's organic-social-first following translated directly into retail sell-through, with stores like Dick's Sporting Goods unable to keep the product stocked.

    we're in every single Dick's Sporting Goods store now and they can't really keep us on the shelves... heat online, heat on the internet, it drives purchases

17. 2026-04-16moderate 63%

    Getting the new canned drink physically into bars, on par with High Noon's on-premise presence, is the crucial next distribution move for the brand.

    this needs to be in every bar in America... We need to get them in the bars, TJ.

18. 2026-04-21moderate 75%

    Staying DTOC-only makes a brand overly dependent on paid marketing, so expanding into retail like Frostbuddy did reduces that dependency.

    If you take a comfort, a frost buddy, a glimmer, right? And you're DTOC only, you become extremely marketing dependent.

19. 2026-05-02moderate 70%

    Expanding from DTC into physical retail creates a fundamentally different operating playbook, with separate cash conversion cycles, cash flow strategies, and capital needs from the online business.

    you've got two separate business units. So different cash conversion cycles, cash flow strategies, capital needs, all that good stuff.

20. 2026-06-02moderate 65%

    Quince's decision to run IRL pop-up shops to launch its furniture line is a smart physical distribution move.

    they are going on this popup IRL run, which I think is very smart

21. 2026-06-18moderate 66%

    Shopify-powered DTC brands are now showing up in force with strong physical retail presences, not just staying online.

    to know that Shopify brands are showing up in a real way with amazing instore experiences, like that's that's a real thing that's happening

22. 2026-06-20moderate 75%

    Deliberately extending a brand collaboration's lifecycle instead of treating it as a one-off post is what turned a partnership into a seven-figure Walmart item.

    let's actually stretch the life cycle of this cuz we think it's really powerful. We got end caps in Walmart... it caused these brands... to say, 'we're going to step up and push this, too'

23. 2026-06-20moderate 75%

    Treating retail buyers as long-term partners and sharing category expertise, rather than just pitching SKUs, reduces perceived risk and unlocks off-cycle meetings with major retailers.

    that allowed them to kind of break down and reduce the perceived level of risk... we get meetings with Target, Walmart off-cycle

24. 2026-07-01moderate 62%

    Physical in-store shopping still has real appeal even as anchor department stores like J.C. Penney collapse, and Shopify's buy-in-store tooling is a smart bridge for that.

    I do think there is something delightful about shopping in store and even Shopify is innovating on this, allowing people on Shopify now to buy on store, your customer can simply

25. 2026-07-07moderate 68%

    Aldi's mystery/blind boxes are a smart tactic to pull shoppers back into physical stores and drive incremental impulse spend, even if the boxes themselves aren't profitable, similar to a loss-leader like Costco's rotisserie chicken.

    it's it's like the rotisserie chicken at um at at Costco. So, I like it.

26. 2026-07-10Predictionmoderate 68%

    Tecovas' expansion into Bass Pro Shop and Cabela's will cement it as America's default western-wear brand and the company will keep winning through 2026-2027.

    This will solidify them as the default choice for American western wear... They will continue to win through and through 2026, 2027. They are a phenomenally run brand.

27. 2026-08-15moderate 65%

    Sustainable scaling requires building resilient wholesale and fulfillment infrastructure rather than just chasing rapid sales growth.

    if you run in a 3PLO and you try to build a business that's like, you know, let's sell a lot of product really rapidly and grow really fast, you can do it, but it's not a resilient business.

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