OOTB #29 | What it really takes to Scale D2C with Emily Kelly from Zenni Optical

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Out of the Box

Margherita Carrozzo and Abby Justinger

31 episodes

1 day ago

Out of the Box is a podcast born from a simple belief: logistics deserves more visibility. Too often, people stumble into this industry by chance – only to discover its depth, complexity, and impact on our daily lives. We bring clarity and transparency to logistics by sharing insightful, accessible conversations with voices from across the industry – technology innovators, consultants, distributors, and passionate advocates alike. Our goal is to create high-quality, conversational content that makes logistics more understandable, more visible, and more exciting for everyone.

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All content for Out of the Box is the property of Margherita Carrozzo and Abby Justinger and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

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OOTB #29 | What it really takes to Scale D2C with Emily Kelly from Zenni Optical

Out of the Box

42 minutes 35 seconds

5 months ago

OOTB #29 | What it really takes to Scale D2C with Emily Kelly from Zenni Optical

What does it take to scale a direct-to-consumer brand from startup scrappiness to operational excellence?

In this episode, we sit down with Emily Kelly, Senior Director of Operations at Zenni Optical, to explore the building blocks behind D2C success. With a career spanning brands like Birchbox, Helix, Hubble, and now Zenni, Emily has lived every stage of the operational lifecycle — from sourcing to fulfillment to loyalty programs.

We discuss:
• Why personalization at scale isn’t just a tech challenge — it’s a logistics one
• How to choose the right time to automate (and what not to automate yet)
• When it makes sense to outsource to a 3PL and when it really doesn’t
• Why retention starts after checkout and how to make it count
• What Zenni’s vertically integrated model enables (that most brands can’t replicate)

Plus, Emily breaks down the cost-speed-experience triangle and shares why most brands should only try to win on two of the three.

If you care about making D2C work – without losing your edge or your customers – this episode is for you.