Does Direct to Consumer retail makes you buy it?

In the previous articles, we’ve explored the ideas of companies and brands using the Direct-to-Consumer model to maximize their customer experience and stand powerful towards competitors. But, did those businesses gain advantage by applying this model? How do customers feel about special experiences and does the way they shop change?

A buyer’s journey is very complex. The variation of online and offline shopping made customers’ buying behavior evolve every day. Millennial and younger Millennial customers have become the most important consumers in the business. They are the largest group of buyers. That’s why brands strengthen their customer service to millennial-friendly sales to create an exclusive customer experience.

The evolution phase’s primary factor involves word-of-mouth recommendations from family and friends, combined with in-store interactions. This changes the way consumers think and make decisions. The influence it has, is bigger than any other marketing strategy. If you delivered that exclusive service to a customer, who now became a loyal one, he will likely recommend your brand or product to other people.

If you combine that with the empowerment of technology, then you fully gained their attention. Shoppers these days have easier access to information that’s needed to make real buying decisions. The Millennial generation always had internet. The adaption of digital technologies in DTC and the evolving shopping behavior around that has become essential to succeed. And it’s that adoption of technology that leads the major changes in consumers’ shopping behavior.

When a consumer decides to buy a car for example, there will immediately be a number of brands in his mind. This is the effect media and technology brought. They will fall back on the brands that were in the media a lot. However, consumers are attracted to crowds in stores, but are not willing to buy something from a crowded store. The priority for consumers is that their favorite brands deliver experience and provide product information. It’s seen as highly effective and drives the consumer to purchase. The shoppers are now referring first to the internet to get more information about the product. That’s how they compare different variants and prices. But will eventually go for the brand with the best experience.

So, the inception of DTC did change the way people shop. For retailers, shoppers’ buying behavior had always been important and the rise of Direct to Consumer strategy affected the entire retail space. With the reduce of costs, buyers were coming like never before.

In today’s decision journey, consumer-driven strategy is equally as important to customers as to retailers, to catch the control of the process. Because all they want is to be involved in it. They demand a shopping experience that is centered to them, tailored to their wants and needs. Customers want to feel welcome.

And with the always improving technology, consumers’ behavior will keep changing along the way. Retailers are finding ways to blend their newest socio-economic with their technological trends to create a more personalized experience. That resulted to a high bar in the retail industry.

Considering the changes of the younger generations, it’s difficult to say how the future will play out. It’s obvious that innovation has changed the way shoppers think, but as new things are coming out every day and expectations rising along with them, the most important thing retailers have to do is to take advantage of every opportunity to shake things up.

see also:

  • Is Direct to Consumer model the new Fashion reality? HERE
  • DTC- Direct to Consumer for Fashion, part 2: what about kidswear brands? HERE
  • Does Direct to Consumer retail makes you buy it? HERE

Learn more about Direct-to-Consumer

written by Sabrina Karakut