Blog | Quivers

Bridging the Channel Divide: How Brands Can Overcome Online Sales Challenges and Unlock Growth

Written by Bradley Stevenson | Sep 30, 2025 1:48:10 AM

The Tension Beneath the Clicks

Selling online should be a growth accelerator. But for many brands, it’s a minefield. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) promises reach, data, and margin — but it also raises questions: Will retailers feel sidelined? Will inventory spiral out of control? Will customer expectations be met?

This is the crossroads modern brands face. E-commerce is essential, but without a unified approach, it can create friction: strained retailer relationships, fragmented systems, and missed growth opportunities.

The good news? Brands don’t have to choose between scaling DTC and supporting their retail network.

That’s where Quivers comes in. As a distributed order management and unified commerce platform, Quivers helps brands bridge the channel divide. We enable online growth while keeping retailers engaged, competitive, and connected.

The Common Pitfalls of Getting Online

Going online without a unified strategy can create more problems than it solves. Here are the most common and costly pitfalls:

1. Channel Conflict

Retailers lose trust when brands prioritize DTC sales without alignment. Promotions, inventory, and fulfillment strategies often exclude retail partners, leading to resentment and disengagement.

2. Inventory Chaos

Without real-time visibility, brands risk overselling products they don’t have or underselling those sitting idle in retail stores. Fragmented systems mean missed opportunities and inefficient stock movement.

3. Fulfillment Failures

When ecommerce orders are routed through central warehouses alone, delivery delays, cancellations, and poor customer experiences follow, especially during seasonal peaks.

4. Poor Forecasting

Without access to live sell-through data from retailers, planning becomes guesswork. Brands rely on historic sell-in data, missing vital insights into what’s actually selling, where, and when.

These issues don’t just impact operations,  they erode customer trust and retailer loyalty at the worst possible time.

Bridging the Divide with Distributed Order Management

Quivers was designed to solve this - to unify DTC and wholesale, not force a choice between them.

Here’s how:

  • Distributed Fulfillment: Quivers routes ecommerce orders to local retailers for fulfillment - whether it’s same-day delivery, in-store pickup, or ship-from-store. This reduces shipping costs, speeds up delivery, and keeps retailers in the loop.
  • Unified Inventory Visibility: Brands get a single source of truth across all channels. They can see what’s available, where it’s located, and how best to move it - avoiding stockouts and overstock.
  • Retailer Enablement: Quivers empowers retailers with training, incentives, and performance insights. Retailers become active participants in online sales, not passive bystanders.
  • Real-Time Sell-Through Data: Brands gain access to live product performance across retail shelves, enabling smarter forecasting, faster adjustments, and better seasonal planning.

A great example of this in action is Rigid, a leading brand in the outdoor and sporting goods space. Before Quivers, Rigid faced fulfillment delays and limited visibility into retail inventory. By integrating Quivers, they were able to route online orders to retail partners, improve delivery speed, and strengthen retailer relationships. The result? A better customer experience and a more unified sales strategy. Read the full case study.

The Benefits of a Unified Approach

When brands bridge the channel divide, they unlock a new level of growth, one that’s scalable, sustainable, and collaborative.

1. Increased Revenue

By combining online and retail sales, brands maximize reach and conversion. Retailers fulfill ecommerce orders, reducing missed sales and expanding capacity during peak seasons.

2. International Reach

Quivers enables global expansion without the logistical burden. Brands can tap into local fulfillment networks, reducing shipping costs and improving delivery times across borders.

3. Stronger Retailer Relationships

Retailers win too. With access to online orders, performance insights, and incentives, they’re motivated to sell more and stay aligned with brand goals.

4. Smarter Planning

Real-time sell-through data gives brands the clarity they need to forecast accurately, adjust SKUs, and allocate inventory based on actual demand - not assumptions.

This isn’t just operational efficiency. It is a strategic advantage.

Conclusion: Growth Without Conflict

Ecommerce growth doesn’t have to come at the expense of retail partnerships. With the right systems in place, brands can scale online while strengthening their retail network, not sidelining it.

Quivers makes this possible. Bridging the operational and data gap between DTC and wholesale helps brands move inventory smarter, forecast better, and deliver a seamless customer experience across every channel.

Whether you're planning your next seasonal range, preparing for holiday demand, or expanding internationally, Quivers gives you the tools to grow without friction.

Explore Quivers today or request a demo to see how distributed order management can help your brand bridge the channel divide and unlock your next phase of growth.