Total Retail Talks
Total Retail Talks is for retail executives who crave the knowledge and insights needed to stay successful in today's fast-paced industry. Through engaging talks and focused interviews, listeners take away useful information and practical advice from a full roster of retail experts, influencers and leaders.
Solo Brands' CEO Shares Strategies for DTC and Wholesale Profitability

In episode 388 of Total Retail Talks, which was recorded at the ICR Conference earlier this year, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews John Merris, CEO of Solo Brands, a pure-play direct-to-consumer (DTC) company with a portfolio of rapidly growing lifestyle brands, including Solo Stove, Oru Kayak, Chubbies, and ISLE. Merris discusses why so many public DTC struggle to become profitable (0:59), the origin story of Solo Brands and its current brand portfolio (2:53), and why he believes DTC success comes from putting loyal customers first (5:32). He details how Solo Brands can remain a true DTC company while layering in wholesale opportunities for future growth (7:55), and the company's strategy to maintain the customer relationship when shoppers purchase from Solo Brands' select retail partners (10:30).

In addition, Merris addresses how Solo Brands maintains equal profitability between DTC and wholesale customers (12:29), why the company is investing in customer data technology to cross-sell between brands in its portfolio (14:19), and the various growth opportunities he's targeting in 2023 (16:00). He shares how Solo Brands approaches innovation with in-house talent (17:47), how the consumer behavior he saw during the 2022 holiday season will impact the retail industry this year (18:50), and his thoughts on retailers' inventory positions for 2023 (20:51). Lastly, Merris discusses Solo Brands' customer retention strategy (22:47).

John Merris has served as Solo Brand’s president and CEO since October 2018, and is a member of the board of directors since March 2021. Prior to his time with the company, Merris served as chief revenue officer and director of Clarus Glassboards LLC, a manufacturer of glass writing surfaces, from October 2015 to October 2018, and vice president of Multiview, a business-to-business media company, from August 2012 to October 2015. He also serves on the board of directors of Fostering Hearts, a nonprofit corporation. In 2020, Merris was recognized as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Regional Winner. Merris holds a B.A. in Political Science and Business from Brigham Young University and a M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

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