It's time for manufacturers in e-commerce. An increasing number of them have invested in D2C, an acronym for Direct to Consumer. D2C is a model of direct sales to end customers. In other words, it is a model that does not require distributors or intermediary resellers.
Adidas, Nike, Citroën , Tesla Motors, and Apple are some of the major companies that already work with this concept. They all operate in e-commerce with their own online stores.
Brastemp is following the same path. This appliance brand, a subsidiary of Whirlpool, operates in D2C e-commerce with an online store and a mobile-first store.
Okay, okay, but what are the advantages of D2C? What do you get with it? Is it worth creating such an online store? Is it worth selling items straight from your assembly line to end customers? How to create a D2C business? Read some answers to these questions right away!
MANUFACTURERS IN E-COMMERCE: ADVANTAGES OF HAVING A D2C VIRTUAL STORE
There are good advantages for factory and industry owners like you in D2C e-commerce. In general, selling directly to end customers via the virtual store can generate benefits such as:
Faster to reach the end customer
By selling products via D2C, your company eliminates several phases of negotiations with distributors, logistics and transport, among other things. This, in turn, reduces the bureaucracy and complexity of your operations. You save time and can even reduce costs. In short, your products reach end customers faster.
More market share
Acting in D2C does not mean that you will stop doing your current sales processes. None of that. All the actions you already do and others can be integrated. In this way, you can increase your market share. So, in addition to selling to distributors, wholesalers and retailers, you will also sell to the final consumer. It's a jump!
Integration with multiple sales channels
A D2C (direct-to-consumer) online store integrates with other online sales channels such as marketplaces, multi-stores , mobile stores, landing pages, squeeze pages, microsites, etc. Furthermore, it can also be integrated with physical stores, pop-up stores , guide shops , standalone stores , and other formats as desired.
More knowledge about the audience
By selling directly to end customers, you gain access to data on their behavior and processes. To do this, simply integrate systems like Hotjar and Google Analytics into your e-commerce website . Also integrate software such as ERPs, CRMs, WMSs, and OMSs . This will allow you to optimize everything more precisely, as well as create new and better products.
As can be seen, D2C has great potential, which will be best exploited by companies that use it first. In other words, as the " Blue Ocean " theory shows us, filling unexplored market spaces like D2C can provide great advantages and more profit to pioneers.
HOW TO CREATE A D2C BUSINESS
The first step in building a D2C business is creating a plan. This, in turn, can be done through entrepreneurship tools such as the Business Model Canvas and the Business Plan.
Your plan should be designed in such a way that your new D2C business will not jeopardize the relationships your company has with distributors, resellers, franchises, wholesalers and retailers who are your current customers.
So, design a unique strategy for each customer group. As far as D2C is concerned, for example, try to sell end customers on a new product line that is exclusive or not yet marketed to your other business partners. Thus, you will avoid the competition.
Furthermore, your plan must take into account the Marketing, Logistics, Finance, Operational and Executive spheres. The implementation of the virtual store, in short, should preferably be done by hiring a specialized e-commerce agency.
The agency will help you choose the best e-commerce platform for your project. Furthermore, being a performance-based agency , it will also assist you in creating and optimizing advertising campaigns, which are fundamental for increasing online sales.
Access and read our article " Types of Online Businesses " as well. Learn about the main categories, formats, and sales channels of e-commerce.
