{"id":14413,"date":"2020-12-09T15:44:04","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T20:44:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/?p=14413"},"modified":"2020-12-09T15:44:04","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T20:44:04","slug":"how-d2c-ecommerce-brands-can-engage-with-customers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.invespcro.com\/blog\/how-d2c-ecommerce-brands-can-engage-with-customers\/","title":{"rendered":"How D2C eCommerce Brands Can Engage With Customers"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 8<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

While the arrival of the pandemic has been a curse to physical stores, it\u2019s been a blessing in disguise for businesses that sell their products online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ECommerce brands have been experiencing significant gains in the past few months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Companies that didn\u2019t have an online presence and relied heavily on brick-and-mortar or department stores saw a drastic fall in revenues, and they were forced to rethink their omnichannel strategies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But even pre-covid, selling through distributors like Amazon or Walmart or large department stores has always been the traditional way to gain attention to your product. But with the rise of social media purchasing and the flexibility that platforms such as Shopify offer, many products again, are rethinking the strategies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What has happened as a result of these strategic reconsiderations?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The eruption of dozens and dozens of direct-to-consumer (D2C) eCommerce brands.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although eCommerce has been booming for several years now, there\u2019s a high chance that we might just have witnessed the <\/span>permanent<\/b> reshuffling of the merchandising structure. And <\/span>according to experts<\/span><\/a>, the increase of D2C eCommerce brands has been long coming and inevitable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Experts might be right in saying that it\u2019s now time for D2C eCommerce brands. But will D2C have it easy? Certainly not. Especially considering that most of them are in direct competition with Amazon and Walmart sites, most of them do not have the expertise to draw actionable insights from the customer data, which is now at their fingertips.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ll take a closer look at how the D2C model works, its pros and cons, and how such businesses can cost-effectively engage with their customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Explaining the D2C Model in eCommerce?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Direct-to-consumer e-commerce is a phrase for an eCommerce model where traditional B2B businesses start selling directly to end-consumers via an e-commerce site. In its simplest form, it means marketing and selling products now to the consumer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The D2C model can work in almost any given industry \u2013 from car companies (<\/span>Tesla<\/span><\/a>) to airfare (<\/span>Linear Air<\/span><\/a>), all the way through to a mattress company (<\/span>Casper<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what’s unique about this model? What makes it so popular across different industries?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The D2C model gives all power to the manufacturing companies as it allows them to directly connect and engage with their customers without relying on go-betweens or any third-party retailers for exposure. It also gives manufacturers the overall control of brand positioning and customer experience, which retailers traditionally handled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

D2C brands can experiment with distribution models, from shipping directly to consumers, partnerships with physical retailers, and opening pop-up shops.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s important to note that a D2C model can take many forms depending on the brand, the consumers, and the area of the market they work with.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n