Sears has been reincarnated. Well, not Sears exactly. But the idea of the Sears department store is reemerging with D2C (direct-to-consumer) companies like Dollar Shave Club, Bonobos, and Warby Parker at the helm. Earlier this year, the world’s first D2C Department Store opened and many more are following suit. But first, why would D2C brands, born online and thriving online, open physical stores?

Opening stores seems counterintuitive to the D2C plan of eliminating overhead and pouring those savings into making their goods faster, better, and cheaper.