How DTC startups are using AI to scale more efficiently

AI Strategies // August 17, 2026 How DTC startups are using AI to scale more efficiently By Gabriela Barkho During a panel discussion at eTail Boston last week, several founders and executives shared how they are navigating evolving retail challenges, omnichannel partnerships and emerging AI tools to drive growth.

From reimagining their relationships with big-box and wholesale partners to using AI operationally and for marketing, brands like Viv for your V, Murphy Door, Vaila Shoes and Hivessence are recreating the DTC playbook for the current landscape.

Ahriana Edwards, founder and CEO of Vaila Shoes, which caters to larger-sized feet, said that perhaps the biggest challenge in scaling a DTC-first brand today is the constant need to adapt. “When you’re bootstrapping and you have limited resources, it forces you to think creatively to get the job done,” she said.

That could be either leveraging AI tools to reach an untapped audience or creating unique marketing strategies for each retail partner. “Along the way, you find that you tap into a customer base you would have never known without being in that position,” she said.

A revolving relationship with wholesale Edwards said she treats each channel differently based on their customers’ profiles. The brand sells on its DTC website, through online marketplace Dia & Co, and at Macy’s and DSW.

Having launched at Macy’s in 2023, Edwards said the focus is on merchandising geared toward families and the average department store shopper, leaning heavily into product display and storytelling. “DSW is a little bit more of a fun partnership where we’re mainly e-commerce,” Edwards said.

“But we were able to kind of negotiate allowing returns in store to make it very accessible for those customers.” The two retail chains stand in contrast to the Vaila website, Edwards said, which focuses on being a “work bestie” for customers, many of whom are professional young women.

Jeremy Barker, CEO of Murphy Door, which launched in 2012 and specializes in custom-made doors, said he is challenging the big-box retail model by shifting focus back to DTC. The company offers 300 million design configurations. “We also make hidden rooms and secret rooms, so there are so many pieces that can go into every product,” he said.

Barker said that in large retail environments like that of partner Home Depot, brands selling custom products have little control over the customer experience. Now, thanks to AI, Barker said, he can also run a more efficient DTC operation. AI also helps his team price orders. “We currently turn a product roughly every six minutes.

And the prices are actually going down, not up,” he said. “I have nothing against Home Depot, but my goal overall is to have zero big box [presence] and 100% DTC.” The rise of AI strategies The brand executives agreed that AI is transforming their operations, affecting everything from manufacturing processes to customer acquisition.

Katie Diasti, founder and CEO of period care brand Viv for your V, said when the brand launched on DTC in 2021, she leveraged social media right away. Diasti said Viv for your V experienced the power of AI early on, and has since capitalized on Gemini and ChatGPT traffic by building a content strategy around GEO.

In the summer of 2024, a study went viral showing arsenic and lead were found in many of the major period brands on the market today. People kept Googling “What is the safest tampon?” and Viv for your V topped many lists. “That led to a ton of website traffic,” Diasti said.

“And since then, we’ve been able to lean into product safety and product transparency in our content to help with both the SEO and GEO strategy.” For an upcoming product launch later this month, Diasti said the Viv for your V team is already asking “What is our AI search strategy?”

“Because we know as soon as we launch this, there is going to be a big search volume from our audience: Gen Z and millennial consumers,” she said. Diasti said many brands that experience a viral moment tend to move on and hope it eventually happens again.

“But you can make it happen again by recreating that new story over and over again, whether it’s directly on your own site or your social platforms,” she said. Diasti added that the fast news cycle means people forget about things pretty quickly, so for the brand, keeping menstrual health in the conversation is key.

“We think it’s worth that news headline, and we’re going to keep using AI to help with that,” she said. Diasti said the brand is creating consistent educational marketing material, on social and through email campaigns, to retarget customers who discovered Viv through generative AI chatbots.

David Burrows, CEO of personal care brand Hivessence, said the challenge today is that everything costs much more than it did even just a few years ago. “It costs mor