Six golden rules for perfect direct-to-consumer partnerships – 5 of 6

This is the fifth of six blog posts we’re publishing over the next fortnight looking with the golden rules for creating perfect direct-to-consumer brands. Check out the first day here.

Rule five: surprise!

In the DTC model customers love an order/delivery system that works like clockwork, it’s efficient, modern and one less thing to think about. However, after a while this savvy feeling starts to dissipate as deliveries become routine. So it’s important to think about ways that brands can add an element of surprise in the partnership, and keep up the element of surprise. We suggest adopting a model of ‘variable reward’ to keep your customer engaged, such as sending out occasional small gifts, vouchers or samples with deliveries.

Birchbox achieve continual engagement through curation – an essential part of their business model. Every box they deliver is filled with products based on personal data supplied by that customer. This exchange of information is a key part of the signing up process – ensuring the company have access to sales information immediately but also to ensure the customer’s skincare and makeup desires are met, and whether they want everyday or adventurous products, for instance.

Check back on Friday to read part six.