As the traditional retail model progresses to collapse, consumers by and large now prefer to shop online for everything from daily essentials to luxury products. This shift has paved a way for DTC brands to form a personal connection with their customers by giving them an insight into the brand and what it stands for.
According to research by Baymard, 67% of users on DTC sites seek out such non-product content such as “About Us”, “Our Story”, “Our Process”, compared to just 37% of users on traditional retail websites. When compared to B2C websites, only 37% of users on beauty and apparel sites looked out for similar information.
Storytelling has been an intrinsic part of what makes us human and therefore it is important to evoke a powerful emotional response from your customers by dedicating pages to both “Brand story” and “showcasing the unique product qualities”. It helps the potential customer to make a decision whether they want to associate with a brand by making a purchase or not.
While most brands often highlight this information on their homepage, for the new-age customer, sometimes it is not enough to satisfy their curiosity about a new brand or its products. So here are 5 effective ways for brands to showcase their ‘Brand’ & ‘Product’ Stories.
- Brand Origin Story
“In a world where people have a lot of choices, the story may be the deciding factor.” – Nick Morgan, author of How to Tell Great Business Stories
Think of your customers as suckers for a good story. In a day and age where we are bombarded with products everywhere, consumers want to learn as much as possible about the brand, the founders, the intentions of the brand, before pulling the trigger.
Therefore, dedicating a page to the origin of the brand is a great way to convey the passion behind the brand to the customer. For many consumers, the brand’s founder and its origin story have proved to be of high interest.
The Olio Stories is one brand that captures the essence of the brand beautifully on their ‘About us’ page. Olio is a brand of soul and stories and you can tell as soon as you land on their website. Their about us page has a clear introduction of the founders, the brand’s origin story, their values, and their community, all encapsulated on one page. Every product and every collection also has a fascinating story behind it, making it a distinguished ‘modern heirloom’ jewellery brand.
2. The Brand Values
Your brand values mean identifying what matters most to your brand and the way you would like your customers to perceive it. Incorporating your chosen brand values on your website and other aspects of your business will give you an opportunity to connect with your audience on a deeper level. Thus, creating a strong, unique, and recognisable brand. Your brand values will help solidify your brand and inspire brand loyalty and customer retention. While not everyone will be impressed with just putting your brand values out there, therefore, showcasing unique product qualities might also help to instill trust.
Showcasing Unique Product Qualities
Most DTC brands with a small catalogue focus on their unique product qualities apart from the brand values and stories. Since they have a small range of products, their focus lies on the product material and manufacturing process to engage the potential customers.
Pilgrim, a brand that sells aromatherapy products has everything you need to know about the product, listed on the product page. It highlights the technology, materials, size, and usage of the product on the page and adds more value to it. It elevates the customer’s experience of buying a new product as all the details are clearly mentioned on the website.
There is a wide assumption that a customer will be willing to pay more for products that are ethically and sustainably manufactured and have a high level of craftsmanship involved. Therefore, it is crucial to devote a few pages to the website describing everything in more detail so the customer knows exactly what they are paying for.
3. Materials and Ingredients
As a result of increased awareness about the environment and overall greater knowledge about everything that we consume, customers are demanding transparency from brands. According to research, materials and ingredients are the key product details that customers look for when it comes to buying a new product. It could be the chemical composition for makeup, skincare, etc, and material composition for clothing, apparel, and more. But, a lack of such information could lead to consumers dismissing that website and moving on to something else instead that has a more elaborate product description.
Kosas a makeup brand with active skincare, lists all the ingredients in each product while highlighting the benefits of a few. They have an entire page dedicated to ingredients that they are using in the products along with the ingredients that they are explicitly not included like parabens, sulfates, etc. This will give the customer a good overview of the product and will eventually help to increase the conversion rate.
4. Manufacturing and Production Practices
Ever since the emphasis on topics like sustainable and ethical manufacturing practices, for many customers knowing how the product is manufactured is as crucial as its ingredients. The manufacturing and production practices can have a major impact on the customer’s purchase decision. Customers want to invest in brands that are able to build trust while also holding themselves accountable.
Patagonia is providing full transparency throughout its supply chain on its website. The customer has access to a series of Footprint Chronicles directly related to that product. Information about the supply chain, including all textile mills and sewing factories used in creating the item, is clearly stated for the customers. The brand also invites feedback from the customers as to how they can make their manufacturing process better.
5. Overall Product Quality
New DTC brands all over the world struggle with the challenge of convincing users why it’s worth purchasing their products over something else available in the market that might be cheaper or manufactured by a more established brand.
Therefore, relying on the information provided on the product page may not be enough for a customer. Dedicating an additional page with information about the product’s overall quality and features can help dubious customers to understand the product better and understand what sets the brand apart.
All Birds, a woven footwear brand with a terrific website and a great story, and a goal to promote climate positivity is focused on the “Whys” and “Whats” of the brand. Everything you need to know about their shoes is mentioned on their website. The use of images and videos to educate the customers about the processes puts things into perspective for them. From the material to the carbon footprint of each shoe, that brand is on a mission to encourage other brands to start labelling their products with carbon footprint labels.
It’s no coincidence that the brands that are most successful at building direct connections with consumers are also the same ones that excel at leveraging the power of storytelling, brand values, and highlighting their manufacturing processes. Without the middlemen to help market and distribute their products, DTC brands have to excel at building relationships with their customers as well as sparking conversations with their audience.
