D2C Brands Lag Behind Other eCommerce Merchants in Customer Satisfaction

When it comes to providing a satisfying experience that keeps customers coming back, direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands are falling behind, PYMNTS Intelligence research suggests.

By the Numbers

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “The Online Features Driving Consumers to Shop With Brands, Retailers or Marketplaces,” created in collaboration with Adobe, is based on a survey of more than 3,500 U.S. consumers in October seeking to better understand shoppers’ experiences when they make purchases online.

The results revealed that, on average, only 72% of consumers are very or extremely satisfied with their experiences shopping from a brand’s website or mobile app — lower than the 76% of those who were similarly satisfied with retailers’ websites or apps and 80% with online marketplaces.

The Data in Context

As D2C brands look to improve customer satisfaction, many are turning to emerging technologies to remove common points of friction.

For instance, in an interview with PYMNTS,  Tamara Jarrar, founder and CEO of D2C children’s sleepwear brand Bellabu Bear, noted that artificial intelligence (AI) could go a long way toward driving sales by helping customers navigate digital platforms more seamlessly. She cited the example of AI-powered chat and search functionality offering recommendations.

The technology can make the platform “really customized to the customer’s experience, where they could really ask almost anything,” Jarrar said. “‘Can you add this to my cart for me?’ ‘I’m looking for this.’ ‘Can you tell me why these pajamas are eczema-friendly?’ … All of the information and knowledge is already inputted into our website, but for the customer sometimes they have a hard time navigating to it.”

Additionally, Lindsey Galey, chief marketing officer of D2C retailer Giadzy, said in an interview with PYMNTS last year that the company benefits from being able to control the end-to-end customer journey.

“Being able to really control that entire experience from digital to cart to checkout to fulfillment to packaging, and then also giving people the recipe and the tips on how to create the dish — that’s where we’ve seen the real magic happen,” Galey said.