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10 Easy Ways to Grow Your Direct-to-Consumer Sales
The top of your website should have a menu, tagline, subheading and call 2 action - with ONE background image.
No sliders. No multiple buttons.
Busy hero sections are dizzying, and make the brand feel cheap. Worst of all, it’s confusing for the customer.
All you need to do in this section is:
The rest of the info you want to share? That can wait until further on in the homepage. First, you want to get them scrolling.
If you’re running a particular promotion, or have some other important information to share, put that in a header at the very top of the home page.
Everyone wants to be entertained. So they’re a lot more likely to stick around on your website if you keep them entertained! One simple way to do that is to inject some wit or humor into product names.
This stands out easily - even people who are just scanning the page will see the product names - so it’s a simple way to have a big impact.
Bloomingdales does this very well. If you request a return label for wrong sizing, you are immediately given the option to “Find the right size”. This makes it far more likely that the customer will actually purchase the correct item, as opposed to just returning the item and forgetting about it.
This is something that can be easily added to any website exchange section.
In online ads, you face global competition. But direct mail is neglected by most brands - and that gives YOU an easy way to stand out.
Create compelling postcards and story driven catalogs. Send some small free gifts. Get yourself in the door - literally - with physical mail that is so much harder to ignore than a Google ad.
If you sell CPG, or any item that needs to be regularly replenished, capitalize on that! You don’t want them logging into Amazon next month and deciding to try a different brand. Preempt that possibility by offering discounts and a convenient subscription option.
Use email and social media to collect feedback, have fun, and create fans.
Make sure that social media accounts are all actively monitored and that every comment is responded to - ESPECIALLY negative comments.
Respond to every single negative review. And try to make sure the issue is resolved and the reviewer edits the review to reflect your assistance
The biggest downside to online shopping is the inability to touch the product and see it in real life. But with today’s technology, you can bring the product to life on screen.
Utilize every tool you can:
Everyone loves a fun video. Especially if it makes them laugh.
So if you create a video featuring your product that entertains, you have FREE advertising as it will be shared even by people who have no plans to purchase your products!
And it doesn’t have to be a $20,000 dollar production. Take Dollar Shave Club. They made a video that cost $4,500 and took a single day to shoot. It went supernova-viral (3 million views!) in a few days.
Most importantly - the day after launching they had 12,000 new subscribers.
What did they do?
Yes, it will take some coordination and planning to give the video momentum. But the payoff is well worth it.
No, you DON’T need to offer “Free & Fast” shipping. If your products are good, and you’ve created feelings of loyalty and trust, there is room for flexibility.
The best method is to offer a free and slower option paired with an expedited delivery for a small upcharge.
If the only way you can afford to offer free shipping is with interminable shipping times and “predicted” delivery dates - it isn’t worth it. Customers are usually willing to pay a small shipping fee in exchange for the peace of mind of tracking numbers and delivery dates.
The biggest advantage of selling Direct-to-Consumer is that you can personalize. There are many ways to do this: