[D2C tip #4] Your customers will want a reason to buy from you directly
Why should your customers buy from your website, when they can just use Amazon? It’s a hard-hitting question — but it needs an answer, especially when you consider that just 2 percent of online shoppers in the US shop from a manufacturer’s website.
Another consideration that you need to think about is how you can get customers to shop at your site without damaging relations with your existing retail partners. In other words, how can you avoid channel conflict?
The best solution to this is to get creative. Ask yourself what you could offer that your current retail partners can’t? One answer that comes to my mind is offering personalization. To give you an example, Nike’s D2C site allows their consumers to buy a pair of customized running shoes with their name on it — something you can’t do in Foot Locker.
Other possible options that can help you avoid channel conflict and give your customers a reason to buy from your D2C site is to offer things such as unique pricing, subscription services, and loyalty rewards.