Running a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand is not for the faint-hearted. Unlike selling on Amazon or other marketplaces, there’s no built-in audience and no algorithm giving you a boost. 

Instead there’s the constant battle for visibility, pulling in new customers as well as keeping the ones you’ve already won over. Then there’s everything else – customer service, returns, logistics and of course making sure your brand is turning a profit. 

You’re responsible for everything – all of the time!

We guess the last thing you need is another blog reminding you of everything you should be doing (or might have forgotten to do). So sorry about that.

But stick with us. Out of the endless to-do list, we’ve narrowed it down to just six small but powerful takeaways that can make a real difference.

1. Website experience

When you sell on platforms like ASOS or Amazon, you don’t have to worry about UX – they’ve already nailed it (or it’s being regularly refined). 

But when you’re running your own DTC store the experience is entirely on you. Don’t let the technical elements of a website push your customers away, whether that’s UX, UI, site speed or navigation.

A slow-loading site, a clunky checkout or confusing navigation will send customers running back to retailers. Shoppers expect fast, frictionless and frustration-free experiences.

2. Retail data

If you have retail data, don’t let it go to waste. Your best-performing retail locations are telling you where your customers are; if certain stores consistently outperform others, that’s a strong signal of demand in those areas. Instead of casting a wide (and expensive) net with your DTC marketing, why not focus where you already know your audience exists?

Geo-targeting makes this easy. You can run hyper-local ads around your best retail locations, use geo-fenced promotions to drive foot traffic, or even launch pop-up experiences in high-performing areas to create buzz and help support online conversions.

3. Alignment with partners

There will be a number of DTC business profiles here; some of you will be exclusively DTC, while others will sell through marketplaces or retail partners.

If you’re the latter, when you’re running a big promotion, make sure you align with what your retail partners are doing. If your products are available elsewhere at a lower price, customers will take the better deal – cutting into your margins and reducing the impact of your campaign. You could end up training customers to price-shop rather than build loyalty with your brand, and you definitely don’t want that. 

If you’re launching a Performance Max or dynamic ad campaign without exclusions you might end up bidding against yourself which will drive up costs and waste ad spend.

4. Data

Don’t forget to maximise your data! As a DTC business you have direct access to customer data; every website visit, every purchase, every interaction with an ad – and it’s all there, waiting to be interpreted (*rubs hands with glee).

First-party data can be one of your biggest competitive advantages. Email lists, SMS subscribers, purchase history can make your marketing way more effective. Things like personalised emails will speak directly to a customer’s interests and align with their browsing and purchase history. Ad campaigns which retarget high-intent buyers will avoid wasting spend on cold audiences. 

But we know the sheer amount of data can feel overwhelming.

If you’re not sure where to start, the key is to focus on where you can make the most impact and quickly – for instance segmentation, personalisation and automation. 

Remember you don’t have to use every single data point for it to be effective, but carefully prioritising the right ones can really help grow revenue and improve ROAS.

5. Strong USP

In effect you’re competing with marketplaces and retailers who are probably offering a much more convenient experience than your brand alone can (on account of their size and reach). 

Therefore, your DTC strategy needs to engage customers in a way that marketplaces and big retailers can’t.

Another retailer may offer faster shipping than you. They probably have more brand recognition. They may even appear higher in search results. 

So if your direct store doesn’t offer something special, shoppers will default to what they know and the path of least resistance.

You need a strong USP – something which makes you stand out and makes customers feel valued, connected and invested in. That could be exclusive products, better pricing, loyalty perks, early access drops or personalised experiences which retailers can’t match.

Make it worth your customers’ while to buy direct. 

6. Profitability 

We see it all the time: the pursuit of revenue at the expense of sustainable growth: a sales at all costs mindset. In the rush to grow, so many DTC businesses fixate on more: more sales, more customers, more reach. On the surface, sales looks like success. But without profitability, your business is not going to have longevity.

Are you guilty of pouring money into ads to acquire new customers while ignoring retention? Slashing prices to drive short-term sales? Scaling too fast without the margins to support it? That’s how brands collapse under their own weight.

The key to sustainable growth means knowing your numbers inside out. Understanding customer acquisition costs. Building strategies which keep customers coming back rather than constantly chasing new ones. Focusing on lifetime value, not just one-off transactions.

Running a DTC business is a lot like juggling; constantly tossing sales, data, logistics, customer retention and profitability into the air. It’s easy to drop the ball and lose track of how many you started with. But if you need an extra pair of hands to keep everything in motion, give us a call.