57% of consumer brand manufacturers are looking to switch to a direct to consumer business model this year.
With so many success stories and benefits, it’s not hard to see why.
Because it’s hard to compete with Amazon, part of the success of direct to consumer selling lies in learning how to leverage the power of the platform while carving out niches away from the marketplace itself.
Here are seven reasons why you should start selling directly to your customers online today.
1. Reap the Benefits of Hard Work
If you’re working hard to promote a product, then it makes sense that you get your fair share of the revenue for that.
Nike, for example, promotes Jordans, and they’re doing a pretty good job of it.
While they sell those Jordans in Foot Lockers all over the country, they’re losing out on lots of revenue when someone buys them there instead of directly with Nike.
You can run paid ads on your own brand’s items and win more this way by selling direct.
2. Foster Stronger Consumer Relationships
Direct to consumer selling allows you to speak and interact directly with your target audience.
When you become a first-party wholesaler on Amazon, for example, you lose out a bit on the ability to foster deep relationships.
Seeing as 84% of adults in the US are loyal to a specific brand, this is pretty important if you want to stay ahead of eCommerce trends.
3. Increase Leverage with Retail Partners Like Amazon
Selling directly to your customers ensures that you’re creating a strong brand and building your brand’s identity.
When this happens, it makes your business and product look a lot more attractive to larger retail partners like Amazon.
If you’re able to present yourself as a competitive direct to consumer brand, then you’re able to cultivate stronger relationships with partners in a way that benefits you in the long run.
4. Gain Access to Valuable Data
When you establish a wholesale relationship with a retail partner like Amazon, you lose out on the ability to gain access to valuable consumer data and behavior.
Accessing data about your customers is one of the top eCommerce tips for a reason.
It helps you understand what you need to change, what you’re doing right, and how to adjust your products to fit changing trends.
5. Control Over Your Brand
As a wholesale partner, you lose a bit of control when it comes to your branding and business image.
As a direct to consumer brand, this changes. You’re able to have complete control when it comes to tailoring the buyer’s journey from beginning to end.
This is true even if you’re diversifying your channels. Selling on Amazon as a third-party seller still allows you to control your brand and the experience customers have with it.
6. Engage in Multichannel Retailing
Multichannel retailing is becoming increasingly more important in the world of eCommerce. However, to be successful at it, you need to build a brand across multiple channels.
By selling directly to customers, you’re able to do this in a way that makes multichannel retailing easy.
As a wholesale partner, it becomes harder to build your brand and sell across different channels in a successful manner.
Making Direct to Consumer Sales Work
When you start selling direct to consumers online, you open up a whole new world of branding and sales opportunities that can take your business to new heights.
However, you’ll need to learn how to do it correctly in order to strike a balance between building your brand and cultivating a strong relationship with a retail partner.
Interested in learning more about how to become a successful Amazon seller?
Browse the other helpful articles in our blog or take a look at what we can do for you in order to help you be more successful at direct to consumer selling.