DTC benchmarks from public filings
What 60 US-listed consumer companies that sell direct report in their annual reports: gross margin for every one, and order value, returns, subscription share and fulfilment cost where a filing states them. Every figure links to the filing it was read from, on 13 October 2026. Nothing is estimated.
| Vertical | Companies | Median | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food and beverage | 5 | 37.9% | 34.6%Black Rifle Coffee (BRC Inc.) | 48.0%Zevia |
| Supplements | 6 | 75.0% | 69.4%Nu Skin | 78.3%USANA Health Sciences |
| Beauty | 4 | 68.0% | 62.9%Coty | 75.5%The Estée Lauder Companies |
| Personal care and household | 4 | 47.7% | 33.3%The Honest Company | 73.8%Hims & Hers Health |
| Pet | 4 | 34.3% | 28.1%PetMed Express | 61.3%BARK |
| Apparel | 11 | 48.7% | 34.8%Torrid | 68.7%J.Jill |
| Online fashion | 4 | 48.6% | 43.2%Lulu's Fashion Lounge | 57.3%a.k.a. Brands |
| Fashion resale | 2 | 77.0% | 74.6%The RealReal | 79.4%ThredUp |
| Footwear | 5 | 42.9% | 41.0%Allbirds (Smartbird, Inc.) | 58.3%Crocs |
| Jewelry and accessories | 4 | 50.2% | 39.5%Signet Jewelers | 57.5%Brilliant Earth |
| Home and furniture | 6 | 42.1% | 30.2%Wayfair | 56.4%The Lovesac Company |
| Outdoor gear, fitness and electronics | 5 | 43.7% | 33.6%GoPro | 57.4%YETI |
By metricEvery company that reports it, ranked
- Gross margin60 companies, from 28.1% (PetMed Express) to 79.4% (ThredUp).
48.4%Median
- Average order value10 companies, from $31.06 (BARK) to $2,082 (Brilliant Earth).
$130Median
- Return rate3 companies, from 0.1% (Herbalife) to 18.3% (a.k.a. Brands).
10.0%Median
- Subscription share of sales3 companies, from 62.6% (PetMed Express) to 83.3% (Chewy).
68.5%Median
- Fulfilment cost as a share of sales14 companies, from 2.9% (The Vita Coco Company) to 22.6% (Grove Collaborative).
8.5%Median
How it is built
Each row is one company’s latest annual report, the Form 10-K it files with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Gross margin is its gross profit divided by its revenue, both from the income statement. The other figures appear only where the report states them, quoted as it prints them. A figure a report does not give is left blank.
These are whole companies. Most also sell through stores or wholesale, and each decides what counts as cost of sales, an order or a return. Use a figure as a reference point for your own, and read its filing before comparing two companies.
Every row is read against its filing again within 90 days, and replaced when the company files its next annual report.