Direct-to-consumers is not a new concept. Brands like Nike, Disney, and Apple already had self-branded retail stores and eCommerce websites.

In the wake of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the government-mandated quarantines had increased online shopping for food, groceries, pharmaceuticals, and other essential needs, thus direct-to-consumers from the manufacturer.

This shift in consumer behaviour, the rise of eCommerce, and omnichannel fulfilment have impacted the supply chain and also created structural change in supply-chain networks and business processes. This trend toward digital commerce is expected to continue with the 'Amazon Effect' already in place.

Moreover, today's digital platforms and social media have enabled brands to build their direct-to-consumer channels and reach their customers cost-efficiently.

Social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Quora, and Pinterest have facilitated direct-to-consumer interaction to a large extent. Now brands can directly communicate with their customers. The supply chain companies are not left behind in this race for direct-to-consumer approaches.

A typical supply chain includes a supplier, manufacturer, intermediaries, transporters, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. The sales model requires negotiations at each stage of production or delivery, which results in a long lead time for the product to deliver and no direct communications to customers leaving the companies guessing about the feedback every time.

Digital marketing and social media have opened the opportunity for supply chain companies to go directly to their customers.

Unlike earlier days' traditional approach, along with digitalization, supply chain companies are also utilizing digital marketing to build their brand and reach out to their customers directly. Various analytics tools like Google analytics are allowing companies to get a better understanding of their consumers, preferences, lifestyles, demographics, and paths to purchase, and social media platforms to approach them directly. Social-media-driven engagement efforts are not only helping companies build brand loyalty but also driving direct-to-consumer sales. With social media and digital marketing, supply chain companies can provide relevant and industry-specific information and position themselves as thought leaders. This facilitates the direct-to-consumer relationship.

Supply chain companies can use social media channels to deliver unique products and service offerings to their followers and gather crucial data to better strategize their target sales and marketing activities.

The rise in E-commerce and advances in smartphone technologies, mobile apps, and digital tools and platforms are making mobile commerce and location-based services a reality. Thus, further pushing supply chain companies to have a digital platform to win today's customers.

Supply chain companies that have already started capitalizing on digital tools and platforms to develop a direct-to-consumer capability are reaping several benefits, such as financial, operational, market dimensions, and revenue growth.

The digital marketing era is transforming the business process landscape for every sector. If utilized efficiently, the direct-to-consumer model can bring in a significant change in the supply chain. But the core of this is a successful digital marketing and social media strategy. So being prepared and ready with proven digital marketing strategies can make or break your supply chain company for going direct.

‍At Parashift Technologies, we have a team of digital marketers who are specialized in supply chain digital marketing and social media strategies. Our supply chain digital marketing experts act as an extension of your team to help you exceed your goals of going direct to customers and driving revenue. Want to know more about our digital marketing strategies and successful case studies from the supply chain industry, drop us a mail at info@parashifttech.com.