How to Launch a D2C Program Successfully

At Connected Commerce 2020, ShipStation VP of Global Solution Partnerships Russell Griffin moderated a customer panel around the necessary steps to successfully sell direct to consumer (D2C). The panel focused on the catalyst to selling online, challenges faced when getting started, and what the achievements and results were. We’ve taken these key points and transcribed them into a handy and helpful blog post. Read on to learn how you can successfully launch a D2C program.

For many companies, March 2020 was a huge turning point in digital commerce. With stores closing to adhere to social distancing protocols, eager consumers turned to online shopping channels to get the products they needed.

The Catalyst

For several Logicbroker customers, the global pandemic was the catalyst for investing in D2C eCommerce. While eCommerce was implemented, it was not heavily invested in, as other channels proved more lucrative. But, as orders began to increase in March, it was clear D2C needed to be optimized to meet the growing consumer demands. Having scalable technology to expedite fulfillment, improving websites, and increasing visibility were the top three priorities identified by users.

The Challenges

To examine the success many brands and retailers experienced through selling D2C, we must first dive deeper into the challenges associated with the aforementioned priorities:

• Technology

With the unplanned boost in sales and users seeing order volumes increase from roughly 50 to over 800 each day the current technology in place was not able to handle the new volume. Additionally, there was an infrastructure barrier of not having a sufficient place for online order fulfillment. There was a clear need to have an all-in-one solution to streamline fulfillment. This is especially true for suppliers selling both D2C and through marketplaces and additional retail channels.

• Website Optimization

The most critical component of selling D2C is having a website that is enabled for eCommerce transactions. Having shopping cart software tied in with your site facilitates the capturing of sales and order management. Additionally, adhering to user experience best practices ensures your site is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and encourages customers through the path to purchase.

• Increased visibility

With eCommerce capabilities in place and organic traffic naturally rising, companies were looking to expand their reach. This included selling products to new retail/marketplace channels and investing in paid search. It was a challenge to cultivate retailer relationships, but once product was sold into one store the others fell into place.

The Achievements

By investing in D2C eCommerce, Logicbroker users were able to accommodate exponential growth. Through enabling D2C, companies were able to expand their audience and drive more business, a drive that resulted in 15-20% of overall sales. Through automation, much manual work around order fulfillment was removed enabling teams to work more efficiently and focus on other, more pressing business matters. Joining a program, like the Connected Commerce Network^TM, creates introductions between retailers and brands to enable endless aisle capabilities with certified partners, which enables quick integrations.

To hear from customers Angelic Bakehouse and BidetKing on how they successfully enabled D2C with ShipStation and Logicbroker, click here. To learn more about how to enable D2C, view our playbook.