The model The hub · Where Customer Lifetime Value sits

D2C Shops - The Hub

A D2C shop is the brand's own online store, its website or app, where it sells directly to the people who use its products. No retailer or platform sits in between, so the brand owns the customer relationship, the first-party data and the margin.

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The hub loopThe D2C shop at the centre of a loop: acquire, engage, repeat, grow. Social, agentic and marketplaces bring reach in; lifetime value comes out.D2C shopthe hubAcquireEngageRepeatGrowSocialAgenticMarketplacesLifetime value
Simplified view of the direct commerce model.

Why it matters for brands

Reach can come from many places, but the relationship has to live somewhere the brand controls. The own shop is the one place where a brand knows who bought what and when, and can act on it: welcome flows, replenishment reminders, loyalty and personalised offers.

That is how a first order becomes repeat purchases, and repeat purchases become lifetime value and profitability.

How it connects to the hub

The D2C shop is the hub. The spokes bring reach; the hub turns it into known customers and lifetime value.

  1. Arrive

    Spoke traffic lands on a rich product catalogue

    KPI Conversion rate

  2. Buy

    Personalised cart, ratings and reviews

    KPI Average order value

  3. Know

    Account data and analytics

    KPI Share of known customers (accounts and opt-ins)

  4. Engage

    Email, SMS, quiz and service

    KPI Repeat purchase rate

  5. Loyal

    Loyalty programme and personalised offers

    KPI Customer Lifetime Value

  6. Repeat purchase → 01 Arrive

Key facts

Amazon is trying to build an empire, and Shopify is trying to arm the rebels.

Tobi LütkeCo-founder and CEO, Shopify, in a 2019 Q&A on Twitter, as reported by Business InsiderSource
Weekly

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8 updates and this week's reading list on D2C Shops - The Hub, every item linked to its source.

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