Three Ways to Encourage Direct Purchases

There is no denying the power of companies like Amazon when it comes to awareness and exposure for direct-to-consumer retailers. E-commerce juggernauts like Amazon have perfected the art of meeting consumer demand, and it’s a solid revenue channel for many retail brands - big and small. 

However, even with Amazon providing a good chunk of revenue, there is an enormous advantage in having customers buy directly from you. With platforms like Shopify and Magento making e-commerce shopping and fulfillment that much easier, there is a lot to gain by focusing on encouraging customers to buy direct.

With the right strategy and marketing tools, you can build an engaged set of customers that would much rather purchase directly from you - here are a few ways to make that happen.

Revamp the way you offer products

One of the best ways to create value and encourage customers to shop directly from you is to make it more exclusive. Offer deals and products that are not available on Amazon, or create bundle deals that they can only find on the website. The key here is value. Think about why someone would choose the direct purchase over Amazon. Do your customers’ value exclusivity? Or they do just want deeper discounts - maybe a combination? You can also tailor your marketing messaging to help customers understand how they can benefit from a direct purchase.

You can promote these deals through social media, text message marketing, and adding inserts with products shipped through Amazon. The more you drive demand to your site and show customers there is value in shopping directly with you, the more likely your customers are to purchase direct. 

Creative marketing

Getting customers to buy directly from you is about being creative with your marketing efforts! Remember that at any given point, customers are being saturated with messaging and information. From email marketing to social media, it’s a lot to handle, and it’s easy to filter out noise. 

So if you’re looking for ways to have your messaging stand out and highlight why customers should be coming to you, consider more innovative methods such as text message marketing. 

Text message marketing platforms like MessageBuy easily integrate with Shopify and Magneto and offer AI-driven cart recovery conversations to get more customers to purchase from you.  You can personalize the experience and make customers feel more special through text message marketing, so it offers a lot of room to innovate. For example, you can launch personalized text message campaigns for holiday promotions. Or send out campaigns to let customers know when new products arrive, or when items go on sale.

Create loyalty programs

Another crucial way to encourage direct buying is rewarding loyalty. Customers like to feel special and that their business holds value for you. If you can demonstrate how direct buying is likely to benefit them more than Amazon, you’ll have more people interested. Even if it’s just a points-based system against future purchases, a loyalty program can significantly help boost sales and drive interest. 

You can supplement loyalty systems by marketing them on social media and via text message to get further buy-in. After the first direct purchase, you can also send a coupon for their next purchase as a token of gratitude. 

There is a lot of flexibility in designing the loyalty program, so it’s really up to you and what you believe customers would gravitate towards the most. Take a look at competitors to see what they offer and how you can differentiate. 

Encouraging customers to buy direct is crucial to growing your brand. While Amazon and other third parties are a reliable source of revenue, building your own channels gives you greater control and oversight. Using creative marketing methods like text message marketing and offering customers value and rewards for their loyalty can help boost direct sales. If you’d like to learn more about text message marketing, check out our guide here - or get in touch today! We’d be happy to chat and walk you through MessageBuy and its ability to drive sales.