DTC Expansion Into Physical Retail

This problem practices how to think about channel strategy for consumer brands, especially why a company built on online direct sales would still benefit from a physical presence. In investment banking interviews, candidates are often expected to explain the tradeoffs between DTC and retail distribution, including reach, convenience, customer experience, and brand visibility. It also tests whether you can connect shopper behavior to strategy, since different customers prefer different buying journeys, from home delivery to in store browsing to hybrid fulfillment models. Interviewers ask this kind of question to see whether you can reason about growth strategy in retail and explain why adding stores can complement, rather than cannibalize, an online business.