In the last few years, several direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands have succeeded in building a strong presence across unique niches in India. The rising internet population, higher online spending, and the COVID-19 pandemic are some of the top reasons that have made the DTC model popular in the country.
But while the sector has vast potential, it is essential for an e-commerce business to keep up with the latest trends as they often have a significant impact on the future. Three e-commerce trends that DTC brands should watch out for in 2022 are discussed below-
1. Going Hybrid to Boost Reach
According to a report, 86% of Indians adopted online shopping during the pandemic. While the period between 2020-21 proved to be an inflexion point for e-commerce in the country, physical stores are rebounding swiftly now that the lockdowns have eased. The trend suggests that people still like to touch and feel their products before buying, especially in the smaller cities.
As a result, a few DTC brands are adopting a hybrid model- a combination of online and offline retailing. Brands like Nykaa, Pepperfry, and Lenskart have already set up offline stores to boost their physical presence and reach more people. In 2022 and beyond, we can see several other e-commerce companies adopting the hybrid model.
2. The Age of Hyper-Personalization
Personalization has been a routine addition when dtc retail, e commerce business , marketing for e commerce , e business, dtc ecommerce ,business to business e commerce. But due to the rising expectations of modern consumers, we are now entering into the age of hyper-personalization. The concept revolves around creating targeted custom experiences with the help of automation, AI, analytics, and data.
Unlike general personalization, which often leads to irrelevant recommendations and inconsistent messaging, hyper-personalization can enable DTC brands to target customers with tailored experiences, messages, and recommendations. Over time, it can help boost conversions and revenue while also improving customer lifetime value.
3. Subscription Based Purchases
AOV (Average Order Value) optimization is commonly used in the e-commerce industry for encouraging customers to spend more on each of their orders. Upselling, cross-selling, savings on bulk orders, and discounts at an order amount threshold, are some of the common ways brands optimize AOV.
The subscription-based model is a new entrant to this space. It allows the customers to subscribe to the services or products on a recurring basis. The subscription is often teamed with an additional discount. The primary objective of the strategy is to significantly increase the lifetime value of the customers. There are already a few DTC brands that are experimenting with this model.
DTC Retail: 2022 and Beyond
The competition in the DTC space in India is increasing rapidly. To meet the customers’ rising expectations and make the shopping experience as smooth as possible, brands need to keep up with the latest e-commerce trends.
A reputed digital marketing company can play a critical role in helping brands adopt the latest trends and prepare for the future. Experienced marketers have the knowledge and experience to better understand your customers’ demands and build custom strategies to deliver lasting results.
