D2C Ecommerce 101: Everything You Need to Know

D2C or direct-to-consumer e-commerce takes place when manufacturers in any industry directly sell their products without the involvement of any distributor or retailer. This is also becoming popular for brands looking to instantly enter the market at a lower cost of entry. With e-commerce and the growth of online shopping, more companies have started working on opportunities to bypass middlemen and sell their products/services to target customers. In D2C e-commerce, manufacturers can directly sell their products to customers using digital channels such as social media platforms and websites. D2C gives manufacturers complete control of product manufacturing, marketing, and distribution.

Since the beginning of the ongoing pandemic, there has been substantial growth in the D2C eCommerce market. The pandemic has caused a remarkable change in the digital transformation habits of today’s shoppers. With several stores closing their stores, customers are now more and more inclined to buy them online through different channels. According to online data, D2C eCommerce is a preferred shopping option for 40-45% of Gen Z today.

How D2C eCommerce Benefits Brands and Customers

Brands today have greatly benefited from the D2C eCommerce model, which is listed below in the table:

The D2C e-commerce business model is considered disruptive compared to traditional retail, as the former offers numerous advantages to manufacturers. Some of these key benefits include:

1. Better control over messaging and customer engagement
2. Direct access to customer and customer data
3. Increased higher margins
4. Strong brand loyalty
5. More space for innovation

From the customer perspective, they get several benefits like better prices, free delivery, free returns, etc., which are illustrated below.

Statistics source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1274958/motivating-factors-for-purchasing-d2c-sites-worldwide/

Challenges Associated with D2C Ecommerce Brands

Without a doubt, D2C brands brought a change in the global e-commerce market; However, going forward, most of these brands have begun to face challenges such as stagnant growth, new customer acquisition, and intensifying competition, to name a few.

1. Increased competition from local suppliers: It is evident that D2C brands face intense competition from local markets in their niche category. To remain competitive, more brands have now turned to online e-commerce sites. Therefore, it has become necessary for D2C brands to provide the precise set of products that customers are looking for. Therefore, for D2C brands, their primary focus should be on establishing themselves as differentiators, building the brand, and delivering better customer experiences. Once the customer enters the marketing funnel, D2C brands must constantly provide them with promotions and offers that keep them connected to the brand.
2. Take advantage of the omnichannel shopping experience: Providing target customers with an omnichannel shopping experience has been a huge challenge for most D2C eCommerce providers. These brands often fall short of shoppers’ expectations and seek to drive orders from different platforms such as websites, social media channels, and physical stores. To elevate the omnichannel customer experience, D2C ecommerce brands must use insightful customer insights and analytics.
3. Provide personalized experiences: D2C brands must also align with growing customer demands and deliver precisely what they are looking for at the right time. The D2C brand needs to step up its marketing efforts to personalize the customer experience. Customers search for brands that meet their business needs as soon as they enter the D2C eCommerce site, displaying relevant products based on their macro-level details like location, demographics, buying behaviors, etc.

This occurs when investors and other stakeholders demand that the founders explore new avenues of business growth and show the roadmap to become sustainable and profitable.

Marketing: The Chemical X for D2C eCommerce Brands

It is no wonder that most of the D2C eCommerce brands have the strength of large corporations to take advantage of TV advertising campaigns to attract more customers to their websites. This is the reason why some D2C brands have now started to place their products on digital marketplaces to gain more exposure. Unlike other e-commerce models, D2C e-commerce has a trump card in the name of Marketing to attract customers. The following are some marketing techniques that can lead to increased customer uptake by D2C eCommerce brands:

1. Social Media Marketing: Social media platforms have become one of the prominent areas where a maximum of D2C marketing occurs. With social media platforms, there is one thing in common for leading brands: the mastery of product marketing that these brands have been able to do. D2C eCommerce brands are using social media platforms to engage customers in various ways such as displaying ads, uploading relevant content regularly, and providing discount coupons and sales deals and promotions.
2. Content Marketing: Since D2C eCommerce brands interact directly with their customers, effective use of content marketing is the key to D2C brands’ success in talking about their USPs and core offerings.
3. Junk mail: Against the backdrop of the pandemic and with many clients still operating remotely, there has been a notable resurgence in the field of email marketing. With email marketing, marketing communication will reach customers’ mailboxes. A report indicates that an email intended for target customers reaches 79% of them, which can eventually reach 90%. With these statistics in place, it’s clear that for D2C eCommerce brands, email remains the critical element of D2C marketing.
4. Omnichannel Marketing: For D2C brands to be successful, they must take advantage of omnichannel marketing correctly. D2C brands must implement different marketing channels to create a consistent customer experience. There’s a quick change of hands for apps and devices; therefore, it has become necessary for D2C brands to ‘meet’ with their customers when needed and on any device.
5. Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Now, with no intermediaries for brand promotion, D2C makers must optimize search engines like Google and Bing using SEO techniques. However, generating digital traffic and visibility is difficult and requires establishing a virtual presence among your target customers. Successful D2C brands speak like their customers with the right keywords in places like product descriptions and web pages.

Ending:

The D2C eCommerce market rebounded during the initial stages of the pandemic when everyone was forced to make purchases online. However, over time it has become a successful e-commerce strategy that allows manufacturers to fully control the creation, marketing and sale of their products to the target customers using various online marketing channels, as opposed to the system. traditional retail market. D2C e-commerce removes all forms of intermediaries, giving business leaders more control and easy access over their customers and customer data. D2C e-commerce also helps build long-lasting customer relationships and loyalty, as D2C brands regularly provide recommendations to target customers based on their buying behavior and preferences.