The proliferation of D2C brands is altering how traditional brands sell their products and services, and how they build relationships with their customers. 

D2C has seen a general upward trend in recent years. Businesses can reach consumers directly thanks to online shopping and are less reliant on retailers to distribute their goods. Thanks to this direct line to consumers, businesses now have more control over their marketing strategies. It also enables sellers to personalize their customer touchpoints.

The article discusses seven tried-and-true D2C marketing strategies for your Shopify store. Continue reading to gain valuable marketing insights for your online store.

D2C marketing definition

Direct-to-consumer is a marketing strategy that allows manufacturers and CPG brands to sell and market their products directly to consumers rather than through retailers or other middlemen. D2C brands’ key characteristics include responding attentively to consumer feedback and collecting first-party consumer data that guide business decisions.

The Advantages of a D2C marketing Strategy

Here are the major benefits of D2C marketing.

Low entry barriers

When D2C brands enter the market directly, they frequently sell their products through online channels. This is not only less expensive than traditional brick-and-mortar stores, but it also has low entry barriers. It removes the need to rely on retailers or resellers to get your products to market.

Gain access to first-party information

Market research and focus groups could be used to collect consumer data. However, this is not always sufficient to understand your customers thoroughly. Interacting with them directly throughout the consumer journey provides a better understanding of your customers’ preferences, lifestyles, demographics, and paths to purchase.

Control over brand merchandise and product messaging has been increased

Manufacturers could only control their packaging and outbound marketing activities, such as commercials and advertisements in traditional manufacturing-retailer relationships. Brands no longer influence sales once the product is on store shelves. If the retailer struggles to sell its product, brands risk losing money.

7 Best D2C Strategies You Can Implement On Your Shopify Store

Request that customers create content

While viral videos can be quite powerful, viral status is not always guaranteed. Warby Parker, on the other hand, took a different approach. They asked their customers to create content by posting pictures and videos of themselves using their home try-on kit on social media.

Because the company discovered that those who shared content were 50% more likely to make a purchase, this strategy was aimed at those who had an innate desire to share photos. Instead of soliciting feedback from friends and family, Warby Parker asked their customers to go a step further and share with the rest of the world.

You can also collect video reviews. What are your thoughts on collecting video reviews via WhatsApp? Isn’t it going to be fantastic? WhatsApp, as we all know, is a private space for us. As a result, the concept of collecting reviews via WhatsApp will yield 30 percent more results than collecting reviews via email.

Yes, an app in the Shopify app store allows you to collect customer reviews via WhatsApp and easily publish them on your website. The collection of reviews and their publication on a website are automated processes. If you only want to publish a few reviews, you have that option.

Implement a strong SEO campaign

Search Engine Optimization is a tried and true method of gaining widespread recognition and driving web traffic.

Casper created multiple landing pages for every conceivable search term that people will use to buy a mattress to dominate the mattress industry’s search engine rankings. They also spent a lot of money on Adwords to outperform their competitors and capture a large portion of the 550,000+ monthly Google searches for mattresses.

While this is an expensive method of increasing traffic, it has undoubtedly been a valuable trump card for Casper.

Collect and use customer information

One significant advantage of D2C businesses is that you own your customer data. As a result, you should use this information to make better decisions. Assume you must decide where to invest your marketing budget for the upcoming quarter. You have one of the following information:

Instagram accounts for 90% of your referral traffic.

LinkedIn accounts for 10% of your referring traffic but 90% of your highest-value customers. Your data and your marketing objectives will influence your decisions. In the first instance, you may increase your focus on Instagram, believing that doing so will help you reach more customers and raise brand awareness. If you want to focus on getting big clients, you should probably use Linkedin instead of Instagram.

Use email marketing to your advantage

Despite the increasing popularity of social media as a D2C marketing tool, traditional channels such as emails should not be overlooked. Because your email marketing campaign begins with a subscription to your brand’s mailing list, it is extremely effective in targeting people who have previously expressed interest in your products.

Highlight user-generated content

When you offer a great product and service, customers will leave positive feedback about your company. This User-Generated Content (UGC) represents some of the best sales and marketing material available at each customer journey stage. This type of content can be obtained in a variety of ways. Many fashion brands, for example, run campaigns on Instagram or TikTok that revolve around a branded hashtag.

Create a strong brand identity

All types of businesses require a strong brand identity. Customers will associate the brand with the items it produces, which is especially important for direct-to-consumer businesses. It will be easier to persuade new customers that you have a high-quality standard of product and service if you have a strong brand identity.

Enhance the customer experience

You would look at the person and consider their needs without thinking about it. Different people have different tastes. For example, one person may prefer a slim fit, whereas another may prefer a baggier fit. Similarly, your D2C store should enable customers to customize their purchases.

Incorporate Direct-to-Consumer Strategies into Your Business Model

Your company may not be ready for a complete overhaul, but you can still incorporate some D2C tactics and strategies into your current business model. Optimize your first-party data collection to adapt to the changing consumer and economic environment. Our innovative marketing platform’s three-tier logic enables brands to host and launch promotion and loyalty programs while tracking progress in real-time. The Data Capture & Analytics dashboard provides invaluable information on consumer purchasing habits, demographics, and brand spending.