Channel strategy consulting
Retail and channel strategy
Channel expansion is not growth if the margin was not designed first. Retail and channel strategy determines which channels a brand enters, in what order, and on what economics, across prestige and mass retail, specialty, professional, marketplace, and direct, so that each new channel strengthens the commercial system instead of straining it.
Channel expansion is not growth if the margin was not designed first.
Channel sequencing
Order matters more than presence. Each channel imposes its own requirements on pricing, margin structure, inventory, and organisational capacity, and entering them in the wrong sequence forces compromises that are expensive to undo. Sequencing decisions are made against margin structure and operational readiness, not against which conversation happened to move fastest.
Retail readiness
Retail readiness is more than a strong product and a pitch. Retailers evaluate whether a brand can supply reliably, support sell-through, fund the investment the partnership requires, and sustain performance past the launch window. The launch is the easy part; the months after it are where the relationship is actually decided, and where most brands underbuild.
- Supply reliability and inventory posture for a retail cadence
- Sell-through support and the investment behind it
- Margin structure that survives retailer terms and trade requirements
- The commercial reporting to manage the account after launch
Amazon and marketplace economics
Amazon rarely creates a margin problem. It exposes one. Marketplace economics make pricing, fees, and catalogue integrity visible in a way other channels do not, and an unmanaged marketplace presence sets the effective price for every other channel. The work covers pricing guardrails, catalogue integrity, and marketplace-specific contribution margin.
DTC to wholesale
Moving from direct to wholesale changes the economics, the cash cycle, and the organisational demands at the same time. The things that break first are usually margin structure built for direct pricing, forecasting built for a demand signal that no longer applies, and an organisation without account management capacity.
Is this you?
Signals this is the work
- Retail conversations are progressing faster than readiness to serve them
- Marketplace pricing is creating conflict with retail partners
- A launch went well and the subsequent months did not
- Expansion is being evaluated on distribution rather than on margin
- The move from direct to wholesale is underway and the forecast has stopped working
What the engagement produces
- Channel sequencing plan tied to margin and operational readiness
- Retail readiness assessment ahead of partner conversations
- Marketplace pricing guardrails and catalogue integrity standards
- Channel-level contribution margin visibility
- Account performance cadence for the post-launch period
Engagements are structured around outcomes and accountability, not activity or hours, and are intentionally limited in number to preserve depth.
Common questions
What does retail readiness actually mean?
Retail readiness is the ability to supply, support, and sustain a retail partnership: reliable supply, margin structure that survives retailer terms, funding for the investment the partnership requires, and the reporting to manage performance after launch. Product quality and a strong pitch are prerequisites, not readiness.
Should a brand go into retail or focus on Amazon first?
It depends on margin structure and operational capacity rather than on which channel is larger. The sequencing question is which channel the brand can serve profitably today without compromising the pricing architecture the other channels will need.
What breaks first when moving from DTC to wholesale?
Typically margin structure, because pricing was designed for direct economics; then forecasting, because the demand signal changes; then the organisation, because account management is a capability most direct-first brands have not built.
If a channel decision is on the table, a short conversation can pressure-test the sequencing before commitments are made.