For several years now, the consumer purchasing journey has continued to change. Now, many of them are turning to the web to search, compare and buy their products. In 2020, online sales reached 112 billion euros in France, reports Fevad. They also won 1.5 million additional buyers compared to 2019.
Faced with this change in consumption patterns, more and more brands are opting exclusively for this distribution channel to take their first steps. Called Digital Native Vertical Brands (DNVB), these companies have chosen to enter sectors with a high penetration rate such as clothing, cosmetics or the home, with an unprecedented economic model.
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DNVBs are best known for putting the customer experience at the heart of their priorities. They adopt a Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) approach, favoring the direct link with their customers while bypassing intermediaries in order to reduce costs, and therefore prices.
Although the DNVB model is attracting more and more large companies, its implementation nevertheless comes with many challenges to be met. Emakina and Adobe publish a white paper that will guide you from the concept of a DNVB, through its challenges, to a specific case, that of Fulllife.
Succeeding as a DNVB
Despite the distinctions that exist between each DNVB, on the project or the approach, they all adopt a common mechanics. It has allowed them to carve out a place for themselves alongside the major players in e-commerce. Among these common denominators, the direct link with their suppliers. This gives them the ability to quickly update their products when needed, or create new ones based on demand or customer feedback.
DNVBs also stand out for their ability to have a strong presence, despite having few physical outlets. This is explained by the efforts made to develop an enriched customer experience. They rely on customer data to get to know them better and improve their purchasing journey. In this way, they manage to send the right message at the right time, and to engage them sustainably.
To keep a strong link with them, the DNVBs regularly feed their social networks. It is essential to handle their cogs to set up the storytelling of the brand, guide the acquisition strategy and succeed in creating a word-of-mouth effect. Each publication is an opportunity to create a strong link with its audience, but also to collect insights. It is also essential to capitalize on community-generated content (UGC), which is perceived as high value-added customer feedback. By downloading this white paper, you will learn more about the best practices to follow to launch your DNVB.
Meeting the challenges that arise
For these young shoots born on the internet, growth comes with many challenges, including increasing acquisition rates. It is essential to put in place a solution to optimize them. This requires using a large amount of data, collected at each stage of the customer journey. The user interface (UI), the packaging, or the e-mail marketing then represent opportunities to collect relevant information, but also to tell a story. Through this white paper, Emakina and Adobe reveal how the technological aspect represents a challenge that goes hand in hand with marketing.
Another major challenge is community development. To maintain a strong brand identity, a DNVB must pay particular attention to the production and distribution of content. These are driving forces to increase their audience and their sales. To achieve this, it is also necessary to establish proximity with online customers. This involves listening to them and taking into account their opinions on social networks. By picking up this white paper, you’ll discover plenty of helpful tips to get you on the path to growth. This includes strategic adjustments, such as internationalization, the introduction into physical points of sale or the creation of new product lines.
The DNVB model is particularly illustrated through the case of the success story of full life, the first clothing brand for gamers, defined as a “Gameswear company”. She reveals how she relied on storytelling and gamification to deliver a memorable customer experience.
Finally, DNVBs are gradually anchoring themselves in the retail landscape and attracting multiple buyers. Both new brands and large groups therefore have every interest in appropriating their concept and their codes in order to be competitive. Don’t forget to download Adobe and Emakina’s white paper for all the secrets to DNVB success.