Major Brands are Returning to B2B Channels, Here’s Why

After years of “go DTC or go home,” big brands are swinging back to wholesale to regain reach, move inventory more efficiently, and steady their margins. 

Nike and Adidas are prime examples. Both of these brands have rekindled key retail partnerships, and wholesale has once again become a real growth lever.

Direct-to-consumer promised higher margins and richer customer data, and for a while that story held up. 

But by 2023–2025, many brands ran into practical limits: acquisition costs kept climbing, store traffic got choppy, inventories swelled, and promo pressure ate into profits. At the same time, shoppers kept bouncing between channels, which made a single-channel strategy feel too narrow.

Meanwhile, wholesale evolved. 

Better B2B tools, cleaner data, and faster feedback loops made it easier to plan assortments, forecast demand, and measure what works. In short, today’s wholesale is more targeted and more tech-enabled than it used to be.

Let’s take a look at some examples of brands that have leaned more on wholesale this year and explore why that change has come. 

Nike Rebuilding Its Wholesale Muscle

Nike spent 2021–2022 trimming third-party distribution to sharpen its DTC focus. 

Then it pivoted. 

Starting in 2023, Nike began rebuilding relationships with major partners like Macy’s and DSW, while doubling down on Foot Locker. Leadership framed this as a healthier, more balanced growth mix.

Why the change? A few reasons stand out. 

Wholesale partners help Nike move inventory faster and share some of the demand risk. Large multi-brand floors also put Nike side-by-side with competitors, which is exactly where consumers like to compare and buy. 

In recent updates, Nike has been clear that investing in the right wholesale partners is part of the turnaround plan: think better placements, tighter allocations, and smarter retail media.

Adidas Leaning Into Select Partners

Adidas has taken a “fewer, deeper” approach with key retailers, most notably Foot Locker, which it designated as a lead partner in categories like basketball. 

That focus gives Adidas a bigger stage for storytelling and launches while keeping inventory clean and momentum strong. As classic franchises like the Samba and Gazelle heat up, wholesale partners help the brand scale demand quickly without flooding its own channels.

Behind the scenes, Adidas used 2023–2024 to reset: normalizing inventory, tightening the pipeline, and rebuilding relationships so 2025–2026 can be about growth, not cleanup. 

Wholesale is central to that plan.

Other Quick Examples of Brands Leaning on Wholesale

• Deckers (Hoka & UGG): Wholesale has been a clear growth engine this year, with strong order books from major partners helping scale Hoka’s momentum and extend UGG’s reach beyond brand-owned channels.
  
  
• Columbia Sportswear: Wholesale orders and shipment timing lifted the brand’s sales, showing how key retail partners can smooth seasonality and drive broader placement for core outdoor franchises.
  
  
• Birkenstock: Retailers increased allocations for icons like the Arizona and Boston, and wholesale outpaced DTC providing proof that multi-brand floors are still powerful discovery engines for classics.
  
  
• Ralph Lauren: North American wholesale started growing this year as the brand focused on tighter assortments and curated doors, using partners to amplify storytelling while protecting pricing.
  
  
• On: Even with rapid DTC growth, On continues to scale wholesale to reach new runners through specialty and premium multi-brand retailers, supporting franchise launches at pace.
  
  
• Crocs: Wholesale contributed to overall growth as retailers leaned into clogs and sandals, giving the brand wider shelf presence and faster inventory turns across seasons.

Five Reasons Wholesale Is Back

1. Rising CACs: Paid media keeps getting pricier. Wholesale extends reach without leaning so hard on performance marketing.
2. Inventory agility: Retail partners can move volume fast and help absorb shocks, which reduces markdown pain.
3. Omnichannel shoppers: People browse and buy across multiple touchpoints. Being present in strong multi-brand retailers keeps you in the conversation.
4. Better B2B tech: Modern portals, shared data, and retail media make wholesale more measurable and precise than before.
5. Macromix hedging: In uncertain demand cycles, blending DTC and wholesale stabilizes sell-through and cash flow.

Examples of Good Wholesale Strategies in 2025

Brands should choose fewer, but more curated, partners and go deeper with them. 

Brands should also use more segmented assortments. Segmenting distinct products and stories by channel can help avoid promo conflicts and keep each partner special.

Success in wholesale and DTC now means working as one team, not two separate business segments. Plan together, align timelines, allocate smarter, and integrate your data. 

Anything less is behind the curve.

What Brand Leaders Should Do Next

1. Rebalance your channel mix: Model different scenarios so wholesale can carry cyclical volume without diluting your brand.
   
   
2. Pick anchor partners: Assign clear roles and align on calendars, allocations, and retail media.
   
   
3. Upgrade the B2B experience: Treat your wholesale portal, data sharing, and co-op marketing like a product. Make it fast, transparent, and useful.
   
   
4. Protect channel equity: Differentiate assortments and pricing by channel so you can maximize reach without sparking channel conflict.

The pendulum is settling in the middle. DTC still matters but the smartest brands are rediscovering wholesale as a powerful, tech-enabled growth channel. 

Nike and Adidas show how a selective, partnership-first approach can amplify reach, move inventory with less pain, and build a more resilient business. 

If you’ve been DTC-only, now’s the time to rethink the mix. Schedule some time with us and we can show you how some of our customers have done just this. 

FAQ

Why are major brands returning to wholesale after pushing DTC?
Customer acquisition costs have climbed, inventory has been choppy, and shoppers bounce across channels. Wholesale extends reach, moves product faster, and evens out demand without relying solely on paid media.

Does wholesale mean brands are abandoning DTC?
No. The winning model is blended. DTC stays core for storytelling, data, and higher-margin launches, while wholesale adds scale and stability.

What’s changed about wholesale vs. five years ago?
Data and tooling improved. Brands and retailers now share forecasts, build smarter allocations, and measure performance through retail media and integrated systems. 

How do brands avoid channel conflict with wholesale partners?
They set clear roles for each partner, keep launches and allocations tight, and differentiate assortments or pricing by channel.

What KPIs should brands share with wholesale accounts?
Sell-through, margin, inventory turns, returns rate, and launch performance. Shared dashboards and regular business reviews keep everyone aligned.

How does wholesale help with inventory risk?
Retail partners can take volume, help clear seasonal product, and reduce markdown exposure on the brand’s own P&L.

What types of retailers make the best “anchor partners?”
Retailers with strong category authority, clean operations, and robust data/retail media tools. These are retailers like specialty chains, premium multi-brand stores, and select department stores.

How should brands pilot a return to wholesale?
Start with a few trusted partners, define the category roles, test segmented assortments, and align on a 90-day review cadence with shared KPIs.

What’s the role of retail media in wholesale now?
It’s become a core lever. Brands co-fund campaigns with partners, then read results together to refine targeting and allocations.

How do you measure success in a blended DTC + wholesale model? 
Look for balanced growth, improving sell-through, lower promo dependency, healthy inventory turns, and rising lifetime value across channels.