The e-commerce industry is booming and shows no signs of slowing down. This means more opportunities and challenges for manufacturers who want to sell their products online.
Traditionally, manufacturers have relied on intermediaries such as wholesalers, distributors, and retailers to sell their products to consumers. But this model has its drawbacks, such as lower profit margins, less control over pricing and branding, and higher dependency on third parties.
That’s why more and more manufacturers are choosing to sell directly to consumers (DTC) through their own e-commerce platforms. This way, they can eliminate the middlemen, increase their revenue, build their brand identity, and establish a direct relationship with their customers.
But selling DTC is not a walk in the park. It requires a different mindset, strategy, and skillset than selling through intermediaries. It also involves various challenges such as logistics, customer service, marketing, and competition.
In this post, we will share with you some of the best practices and tips for e-commerce success for manufacturers. Whether you are a small or large manufacturer, these tips will help you create a successful e-commerce business model that suits your goals and needs.
1. Choose the Right Platform
The first step to selling DTC is choosing the right platform for your e-commerce store. There are many options available in the market, each with its own pros and cons. Some of the factors you need to consider when choosing a platform are:
• Cost: How much does it cost to set up and maintain your store? What are the fees and commissions involved?
• Features: What are the features and functionalities that you need for your store? How customizable and scalable is the platform?
• Ease of use: How easy is it to use and manage the platform? How much technical knowledge and support do you need?
• Integration: How well does the platform integrate with other tools and systems that you use, such as inventory management, payment processing, shipping, marketing, etc.?
• Security: How secure is the platform and how does it protect your data and transactions?
Some of the most popular e-commerce platforms for manufacturers are:
• Shopify: Shopify is one of the most widely used and user-friendly e-commerce platforms in the world. It allows you to create and manage your store with ease, without requiring any coding or design skills. It also offers various features and apps that can help you optimize your store performance, such as SEO, analytics, marketing, inventory, shipping, etc.
Shopify also has a dedicated Shopify Plus plan for large-scale manufacturers who need more advanced features and support.
• WooCommerce: WooCommerce is a plugin that turns your WordPress website into an e-commerce store. It is ideal for manufacturers who already have a WordPress site or who want more flexibility and control over their store design and functionality. WooCommerce also has a large community of developers and users who can provide support and solutions for your store needs.
• Magento: Magento is an open-source e-commerce platform that offers a high level of customization and scalability for your store. It is suitable for manufacturers who have complex or unique products or who need more advanced features and integrations for their store. However, Magento also requires more technical expertise and resources to set up and maintain your store.
• BigCommerce: BigCommerce is another popular e-commerce platform that offers a comprehensive set of features and tools for your store. It is designed for manufacturers who want to grow their online presence and sales with minimal hassle. BigCommerce also has a dedicated BigCommerce Enterprise
plan for large-scale manufacturers who need more robust features and support.
2. Optimize Your Website
Your website is the face of your e-commerce store. It is where you showcase your products, provide valuable information, capture leads, and convert them into customers. Therefore, you need to make sure that your website is fast, responsive, user-friendly, and SEO-friendly.
Some of the key elements of a high-performing e-commerce website are:
• A clear and catchy headline that summarizes your value proposition and captures attention.
• A simple and intuitive navigation that makes it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for.
• A search function that allows visitors to filter products by category, price, size, color, features, etc.
• High-quality images and videos that showcase your products in the best light and create an emotional connection with visitors.
• Detailed and compelling product descriptions that highlight the benefits and features of each product and address common questions and objections.
• Social proof such as testimonials, reviews, ratings, awards, certifications, etc. that demonstrate your credibility and reputation.
• A strong call to action that invites visitors to take the next step in the buyer’s journey, such as adding to cart, checking out, requesting a quote, etc.
• A checkout process that is simple, secure, and convenient for visitors.
It should include multiple payment options, shipping options, and a clear summary of the order details and costs.
• A customer service feature that provides instant support and answers to visitors’ queries and concerns.
It can be a live chat, a chatbot, a phone number, an email address, or a FAQ section.
• A mobile-friendly design that adapts to different screen sizes and devices and ensures a smooth user experience.
To optimize your website performance, you should also use analytics tools such as Google Analytics or Hotjar to track and measure your traffic sources, bounce rate, conversion rate, average order value, cart abandonment rate, etc.
This will help you identify what works well and what needs improvement on your website.
3. Create Content Marketing
Content marketing is the creation and distribution of valuable and relevant content for your target audience. It can help you attract, educate, engage, and convert your prospects into customers. It can also help you establish yourself as an authority and a trusted source of information in your industry.
But content marketing is not about creating sales pitches or promotional messages for your products or services. It is about providing useful and helpful content that solves problems, answers questions, or satisfies needs of your audience. It is about creating content that matches the intent and stage of your audience in the buyer’s journey.
Some of the types of content you can create for content marketing are:
• Blog posts: Blog posts are articles that provide in-depth information on various topics related to your industry such as trends, tips, advice, tutorials, guides, case studies, etc. They should also include links to your products or landing pages where they can learn more or take action.
• E-books: E-books are long-form content that provide comprehensive information on a specific topic or problem related to your industry. They should also include a lead capture form that collects visitors’ contact information in exchange for downloading the e-book.
• Webinars: Webinars are live or recorded online presentations that provide valuable insights or solutions on a specific topic or problem related to your industry. They should also include a call to action that invites attendees to take the next step in the buyer’s journey, such as requesting a demo, signing up for a free trial, etc.
• Videos: Videos are visual content that showcase your products, provide product demonstrations, share customer testimonials, explain how-to’s, etc. They should also include a call to action that directs viewers to your website or landing page where they can learn more or take action.
• Podcasts: Podcasts are audio content that provide informative or entertaining conversations on various topics related to your industry. They should also include a call to action that directs listeners to your website or landing page where they can learn more or take action.
To create content marketing effectively, you need to have a clear strategy, goals, and metrics to measure your performance and optimize your campaigns. You also need to create and share valuable and engaging content that resonates with your audience and encourages them to take action. You also need to distribute your content through various channels such as your website, blog, social media, email, etc.
4. Use Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the oldest and most effective digital marketing strategies for e-commerce. It can help you communicate with your leads and customers in a personalized and timely manner. It can also help you nurture your leads, increase your conversions, retain your customers, and generate referrals.
But email marketing is not about sending spammy or generic messages to your contacts. You need to segment your email list based on various criteria such as product category, purchase history, behavior, etc. You also need to craft relevant and compelling subject lines that entice recipients to open your emails. You also need to write engaging and informative email copy that provides value and convinces recipients to take action. You also need to include clear and strong calls to action that direct recipients to your website or landing page.
Some of the types of emails you can send to your email list are:
• Welcome emails: These are the first emails you send to new subscribers or leads who sign up for your email list or download your lead magnet. They should introduce yourself and your brand, thank them for joining your list or downloading your offer, and tell them what to expect from your future emails.
• Newsletter emails: These are regular emails you send to your email list to provide useful and relevant content such as product updates, tips, advice, case studies, testimonials, etc. They should also include links to your products or landing pages where they can learn more or take action.
• Drip emails: These are automated emails you send to your leads based on their behavior or actions. They should guide them through the buyer’s journey and move them closer to the sale.
