With the rise of mobile, social and cloud technologies, customer expectations of the brands they engage with are constantly on the rise. The pursuit – and expectation – of unique and memorable retail interactions makes customer experience the new battlefield for brands. Those brands that deliver a winning experience will attract new customers and keep them. Cutting out the middleman When manufacturers sell through retail distributors, their ability to influence how their product is sold is often limited. They’re essentially at the mercy of the distributor to ensure that every shopper leaves the store – whether that’s online or offline – a happy customer. In 2017 we expect to see a stronger push from brands to cultivate direct relationships with their consumers. They’ll offer more focused brand experiences that build their brand story, and will be able to deliver more targeted messaging. By selling directly to consumers (DTC), brands can determine how the customer journey should be, and work to make that vision a reality. Going DTC provides not just a sales channel but can also give a huge boost to the lifetime value of consumers; brands can gather information about their customers and use it to provide personalized shopping experiences. Nike and Under Armour are leading the charge on DTC. This year, there’ll be more entrants in the race to deliver the best customer experience, directly.