Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands are under pressure to differentiate their position and build customer loyalty. The past couple of years have taught us that change is constant, especially in the e-commerce landscape. DTC brands have taken the brunt of the impact, with volatile supply chains, shifting consumer expectations and increased competition from social commerce players. For these digitally native brands, innovating has become a necessity, and for everyone, the customer’s end-to-end journey has become a priority.

The essence of ensuring an outstanding delivery experience lies in leveraging the power of technology. This is a crucial enabler for brands to build customer lifetime value even as they expand. The new end game for DTC brands is to maintain control and visibility of consumer communication by keeping buyers engaged within a personalized environment.

Shifting the focus

A common solution for most brands who rely on lead generation is using targeted online adverts as the crux of their digital marketing strategy. In contrast, leading brands capitalize on curating unique post-checkout consumer journeys to create memorable delivery experiences.

Young brands who are looking to scale up need to take into consideration the full effect of a branded delivery experience. What are pioneers such as Amazon doing differently to nurture authentic customer relationships? Amazon has set the global standard for consumers by offering intuitive, transparent and integrated world-class checkout solutions and accurate delivery predictions.

DTC brands can mirror this example with personalized consumer touchpoints that continuously optimize the delivery experience. By using a technology platform that integrates and standardizes consumer orders and event data, brands can offer enhanced parcel tracking and personalization worldwide. They can also curate end-to-end delivery experiences that optimize logistics performance, and can use real-time data analysis for crucial business decision making.

By leveraging this data for customer communication and for improving internal processes, DTC companies can reduce ‘where is my order’ inquiries by 40%, develop and scale their e-commerce operations and build branded parcel tracking pages that are powered by machine learning (ML) and proof-of-concept modeling.

ML is also proven to be a keen competitive advantage for successful DTC brands. In 2021, Parcel Perform anticipated increased demand for AI-powered benefits and invested in technology, data scientists and machine learning experts to enable it to be flexible in the development of new ML features for its customers. Now we can provide an accurate predicted date of arrival, immediately upon checkout, with up to 98% accuracy no matter the carrier of choice for a DTC brand. This accuracy improves over time and enables proactive communication throughout the delivery journey.

The way forward for DTC

Moving into this post-pandemic climate, the trend of higher consumer expectations will become clear. DTC brands in particular will be pushed to innovate through technology to create consumer journeys with a strong focus on delivery experience.

Successful DTC brands are investing in effective consumer-centric models that strengthen their market position and empower them to delight increasingly demanding customers. Technology partners can provide the necessary expertise and seamless integration tools to elevate DTC brands to the next level of global success.

This article was originally published in Parcel and Postal Technology International June 2022. You may read it here.

Are you a DTC brand looking to create an outstanding post-purchase experience? Find out more here.