2022 CG Brands Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Survey

Question Title

1. How would you describe your direct-to-consumer (DTC) journey?

We started out as DTC and still sell through this channel only.

We started out as a DTC company and pivoted to retail channels within the last year.

We started out as a DTC company and pivoted to retail channels more than a year ago.

We started out in retail stores and pivoted to DTC within the last year.

We started out in retail stores and pivoted to DTC more than a year ago.

We have always been a combination of both DTC and retail channels.

We are currently not selling DTC, but have plans to do so in the future.

We have no plans to sell DTC.

Question Title

2. What percentage of sales are coming from your DTC channels?

None

Less than 5%

5%-10%

11% - 25%

26% - 50%

51% - 75%

More than 75%

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3. How much have your DTC sales increased in the last 12 months?

None

Less than 5%

5%-10%

11% - 25%

26% - 50%

51% - 75%

More than 75%

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4. What are your top 3 solution investment areas for DTC success?

Customer data platform (CDP)

Customer relationship management platform (CRM)

E-Commerce platform

Inventory/Warehouse/Order management

Product data management (PIM)

Customer experience management

Social media

Marketing automation platforms

Cognitive computing (including AI, ML, NLP, chatbots)

Augmented and virtual reality

Other (please specify)

Question Title

5. What is your company’s timeline to invest in the technologies needed for DTC?

	Already implemented	In 3-6 months	In 6-12 months	In 12-24 months	No plans to invest	Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Customer data platform (CDP)	Customer data platform (CDP) Already implemented	Customer data platform (CDP) In 3-6 months	Customer data platform (CDP) In 6-12 months	Customer data platform (CDP) In 12-24 months	Customer data platform (CDP) No plans to invest	Customer data platform (CDP) Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Customer relationship management (CRM)	Customer relationship management (CRM) Already implemented	Customer relationship management (CRM) In 3-6 months	Customer relationship management (CRM) In 6-12 months	Customer relationship management (CRM) In 12-24 months	Customer relationship management (CRM) No plans to invest	Customer relationship management (CRM) Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
E-Commerce platform	E-Commerce platform Already implemented	E-Commerce platform In 3-6 months	E-Commerce platform In 6-12 months	E-Commerce platform In 12-24 months	E-Commerce platform No plans to invest	E-Commerce platform Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Inventory management	Inventory management Already implemented	Inventory management In 3-6 months	Inventory management In 6-12 months	Inventory management In 12-24 months	Inventory management No plans to invest	Inventory management Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Warehouse management	Warehouse management Already implemented	Warehouse management In 3-6 months	Warehouse management In 6-12 months	Warehouse management In 12-24 months	Warehouse management No plans to invest	Warehouse management Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Order management	Order management Already implemented	Order management In 3-6 months	Order management In 6-12 months	Order management In 12-24 months	Order management No plans to invest	Order management Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Product data management (PIM)	Product data management (PIM) Already implemented	Product data management (PIM) In 3-6 months	Product data management (PIM) In 6-12 months	Product data management (PIM) In 12-24 months	Product data management (PIM) No plans to invest	Product data management (PIM) Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Customer experience management	Customer experience management Already implemented	Customer experience management In 3-6 months	Customer experience management In 6-12 months	Customer experience management In 12-24 months	Customer experience management No plans to invest	Customer experience management Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Social media	Social media Already implemented	Social media In 3-6 months	Social media In 6-12 months	Social media In 12-24 months	Social media No plans to invest	Social media Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Marketing automation platforms	Marketing automation platforms Already implemented	Marketing automation platforms In 3-6 months	Marketing automation platforms In 6-12 months	Marketing automation platforms In 12-24 months	Marketing automation platforms No plans to invest	Marketing automation platforms Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Artificial intelligence	Artificial intelligence Already implemented	Artificial intelligence In 3-6 months	Artificial intelligence In 6-12 months	Artificial intelligence In 12-24 months	Artificial intelligence No plans to invest	Artificial intelligence Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Machine learning	Machine learning Already implemented	Machine learning In 3-6 months	Machine learning In 6-12 months	Machine learning In 12-24 months	Machine learning No plans to invest	Machine learning Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Natural language processing	Natural language processing Already implemented	Natural language processing In 3-6 months	Natural language processing In 6-12 months	Natural language processing In 12-24 months	Natural language processing No plans to invest	Natural language processing Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Chatbots	Chatbots Already implemented	Chatbots In 3-6 months	Chatbots In 6-12 months	Chatbots In 12-24 months	Chatbots No plans to invest	Chatbots Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)
Augmented and/or virtual reality	Augmented and/or virtual reality Already implemented	Augmented and/or virtual reality In 3-6 months	Augmented and/or virtual reality In 6-12 months	Augmented and/or virtual reality In 12-24 months	Augmented and/or virtual reality No plans to invest	Augmented and/or virtual reality Not applicable (we are not selling DTC)

Question Title

6. Approximately what percentage of your organization's total technology (IT) budget was allocated to DTC resources in 2021, and what do you expect it to be in 2025?

	<5%	5%-9.9%	10% - 14.99%	15% - 19.99%	20% - 24.99%	25% - 29.99%	30% - 34.99%	35% - 39.99%	40% - 44.99%	45%+
FY: 2021	FY: 2021 <5%	FY: 2021 5%-9.9%	FY: 2021 10% - 14.99%	FY: 2021 15% - 19.99%	FY: 2021 20% - 24.99%	FY: 2021 25% - 29.99%	FY: 2021 30% - 34.99%	FY: 2021 35% - 39.99%	FY: 2021 40% - 44.99%	FY: 2021 45%+
FY: 2025	FY: 2025 <5%	FY: 2025 5%-9.9%	FY: 2025 10% - 14.99%	FY: 2025 15% - 19.99%	FY: 2025 20% - 24.99%	FY: 2025 25% - 29.99%	FY: 2025 30% - 34.99%	FY: 2025 35% - 39.99%	FY: 2025 40% - 44.99%	FY: 2025 45%+

Question Title

7. What are the top 3 challenges that prevent your organization from DTC success?

Absence of a clearly articulated strategy

Limited resources

Right staff not in place

Poor data quality

Inability to integrate data from multiple sources

Cannot achieve single view of consumer (personalization)

Culture of company resists DTC pivot

Inability to deliver or prove ROI

Retail partner conflicts

Supply chain roadblocks (last-mile delivery)

Other (please specify)

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8. Have your DTC priorities changed since the onset of the supply chain crisis?

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9. What does the future of DTC look like in an ideal world?

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10. What is your company's primary business?

Consumer Goods Manufacturer

Retail

Solution Provider/Consultant

Other (please specify)

Question Title

11. What does your company primarily manufacture?

Food

Beverages (including alcohol)

Consumer packaged goods

Apparel/footwear/accessories

Home goods, small appliances, furniture, consumer electronics

OTC pharma

Other (please specify)

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12. What was your organization’s annual revenue in the last fiscal year?

< $100 million

$100 million to $499 million

$500 million to $999 million

$1 billion to $4.999 billion

$5 billion +

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13. What is your job title?

C-Suite

Director

Manager

Other (please specify)

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14. What is your core business function?

IT/Technology

Supply Chain

Omnichannel/Digital Commerce

Customer Management/Sales

Marketing

Trade Marketing/Category Management

Insights/Analytics

Other (please specify)

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15. Please provide your company name below. The responses included in this survey are 100% confidential (this information will only be used as a second check for qualified CG responses and will not be shared).