When it comes to getting in front of the masses, leveraging space in a big box retail store could be the way to go. However, what you could gain in volume, you often lose in brand loyalty and engagement. Though going the route of a large, chain department store could help you reach a larger audience, the truth is, it’s not “your” audience. The sales data and consumer purchasing behavior that is collected all reside and belong to the retailer.
This inevitably gives you very limited, if any, control over your messaging and keeps you locked out of important parts of the consumer buying experience. When you go online direct-to-consumer, you’re better able to manage and monitor how your messaging is performing and create a lasting brand memory with your target audience. Not to mention the built-in data gathering you can implement to get a more comprehensive picture of how your products are selling and to whom.
Because instead of collecting generic, store, or district-level sales numbers from retailers, online direct-to-consumer marketing gives you the ability to track a host of purchasing metrics, including gender, geographic location, number of purchases, types of purchases, etc. With this data, you can not only better understand who your customers are, but, more importantly, what they buy and when they buy. This will then empower you to create targeted marketing campaigns and promotions that speak to your customers. In addition, when you have a full picture of who your customer(s) are, you can craft detailed customer avatars that will help you engineer marketing messaging that resonates with each segment.
Though you may reach a smaller audience than by going through large retail channels, you gain direct access to engage and study your customers to enhance both your marketing efforts but also your purchasing experience.
And with the backdrop of the coronavirus, forcing many brick-and-mortar big-box retailers to close, having these online direct-to-consumer channels in place can be an insulating factor in enabling you to continue to reach your customers and provide them with the products and services they need.
Want to explore other ways to gain more access to your consumers? We invite you to reach out to us to set up a call. With extensive experience in the direct-to-consumer space, we welcome the opportunity to share some actionable strategies that you can easily implement.
