Nike, Nespresso dominate Practicology D2C best practice research

Nike and Nespresso have topped a survey of 100 brands who are selling direct-to-consumer online.

The Practicology research highlights how consumer brands are becoming more advanced in selling directly to end shoppers, competing against both omnichannel retailers and marketplaces. The best sites try to attract customers with exclusive and personalised products, value adding services such as subscription or auto-replenishment, and editorial-style content to position themselves as experts in their product categories.

Nike and Nespresso came joint first, whilst the top 15 places were dominated by footwear and skincare brands including Adidas and Asics. Key findings include: 72% of the 100 brands combine their brand site and e-commerce site, rather than running both a transactional and non-transactional site that can be difficult for consumers to navigate between; 59% have good quality product ratings and reviews on their site; 17% allow customers to purchase personalised products, e.g. Nike’s Nike By You tool, Timex’s watch design tool, Tumi’s monogramming service and Jo Malone’s engraving service.