Who are Spoke? Spoke create custom-made legwear – from chinos to selvedge denim – for men fed up with poorly fitting high street options. Free from the constraints of physical retailers’ limited shelf-space, selling Direct to Consumer allows Spoke to offer 10 times the size range of the average clothing brand. Where did it all start? Spoke launched as a solution for men who wanted to find properly fitting trousers, without the hassle or expense of traditional tailoring. In the five years since it was founded, Spoke has sold 300,000 pairs of trousers to 100,000 customers and is currently expanding its range into cords, 140z denim and shorts.
Who are Huel? Huel provides nutritionally complete food designed to be a convenient, quick and affordable alternative to traditional meals and snacks. Made from oats, brown rice, peas, flaxseed, sunflower and coconut, Huel has an ideal macronutrient split, with good quality carbohydrates, fats, fibre and protein, providing nutritious and convenient food with all 26 essential vitamins and minerals. With sleek packaging and minimalist design, the brand promises fuss-free food without nutritional compromises and is minimally damaging to the environment. Where did it all start? Huel was born in 2015 out of founder Julian Hearn’s realisation that typical performance nutrition plans require enormous planning and preparation – incompatible with most busy lifestyles. With Huel, Hearn set out to develop a...
Who are Heist? Toby Darbyshire founded Heist in late 2015 with the mission to build a better pair of tights for the millions of women wearing ill-fitting underwear every day. Today, Heist’s tights are regarded as some of the best in the market, and are available in different weights, waist styles and sizes – to fit any leg. Where did it all start? Over 12 months, the Heist team tested 196 sample tights with 67 women, before finally launching a signature design. Formulated with the help of a leading garment scientist, the tights have seamless waistbands, no gussets and use 5k spiral yarn to stay up without pinching, sagging or itching.
Who are Gousto? Gousto provides delivery recipe kits to make cooking at home easier, quicker and tastier. Each kit contains a recipe card and pre-measured quality fresh ingredients from a choice of around 40 recipes a week, including dairy-free, gluten-free and vegetarian options. Where did it all start? Founders Timo Boldt and James Carter were motivated to address the chronic food waste problem – 2 billion tonnes of food are wasted globally each year. By providing portion sized ingredients, Gousto tries to minimise the amount of leftover food thrown away and offer a functional alternative to ready-made supermarket food. What’s the marketing approach? The Gousto marketing team employ a test and learn approach to optimise customer acquisition. Whilst early marketing was primarily performance driven...
Who are eve? eve, the European sleep wellness brand, is shaking up the tired UK bedding industry, one mattress-in-a-box at a time. Mattresses are typically a ‘grudge’ purchase, until recently dominated by out-of-town retail parks with a 4-6 week delivery window. By delivering next generation memory foam mattresses rolled up in a compact ergonomic box, eve have revolutionised the logistics and buying process, resulting in a quicker and easier customer experience. Where did it all start? Founded in London in 2014, eve’s ambition is to give everyone the best possible start by making better sleep accessible to everyone. eve’s innovative mattresses combine a slice of memory foam underneath an aeration layer; to give the support of memory foam without the risk of overheating associated with older styles...
Who are Brushbox? Brushbox is the UK’s first sustainable oral health subscription service, delivering customers environmentally friendly bamboo toothbrushes every two months. Where did it all start? Founder Mike Donovan was inspired with the idea for Brushbox back in 2006, following a conversation with a friend about how regularly people change their toothbrushes. Before launching the business in 2017, Mike dedicated a year to learning about the industry and best practices from other Direct to Consumer businesses.
As we deal with the economic effects of COVID-19, digital advertising is continuing to play a crucial role for many SMEs, but more support from our industry is needed to maximise the role that it can play to boost recovery. For us and our members, the next phase of this work will be acting on this insight to ensure that we are effectively supporting SMEs throughout this period and beyond. Elizabeth Lane, Head of Research and Measurement, IAB UK
Who are tails.com? Tails.com offers subscription delivery dog food, specifically tailored to be nutritionally optimal for each dog’s needs based on breed, age, health, activity levels and other factors. Given the diversity of requirements in dogs, one-size-fits-all, off-the-shelf dog food doesn’t give most dogs what they need. Tails.com promises to provide the right nutrition in appropriate portion sizes for every pet, with the convenience of home delivery. Where did it all start? Since launching in 2014, tails.com has expanded step-by-step, proving the scalability of the concept, extending the product range, and expanding internationally, with deliveries now available across mainland UK, Northern Ireland and France. Throughout, a clear company vision – to change the world of pet food for good – has...
DTC businesses are agile in response to consumer feedback and utilise analytics to forge authentic relationships with customers. While brand growth is a key goal, protecting these unique characteristics is also a priority. Working with partners that are open to a test and learn approach, support data-driven marketing and help to amplify our customer-centric ethos is crucial. Kate Huang, Chief Marketing Officer, Callaly
Who are Don’t Buy Her Flowers? Don’t Buy Her Flowers prepare and deliver care packages as a thoughtful alternative to flowers; the go-to gift for adult women. Customer select from a range of products – from snacks and drinks to books and pampering – to build bespoke gift packages that don’t require looking after, but instead actually offer some TLC. Where did it all start? Founder Steph Douglas launched the company in 2014 after having her first baby and being inundated with bouquets. Steph realised that traditional gifts for expectant and new mothers, at what can be a vulnerable and overwhelming time, weren’t what they would most appreciate. While the customisable gift box range has now expanded to cover other occasions, a focus on gifts that encourage the recipient to take a bit of time for...
