The 2020 pandemic has forced consumers to digital touchpoints, accelerating the need for brands to up their game when it comes to digital commerce, engagement, and operations.

Historically, most brands have sold through wholesale retail partner relationships and distributors. Now, they must own the customer relationship, as far as they are able. Forrester’s latest report, “Branded Manufacturers: Master Your Own Digital Destiny,” outlines the future digital commerce opportunity and core aspects of digital go-to-market success for brands. Key takeaways include:

  • Successful brands will take (more) control of their digital destiny. Brands must now own the customer relationship. Not all brands will sell directly to consumers, but all should develop direct customer relationships and connect consumers to brand product availability. All brands must establish a clear digital commerce strategy, defining how they will manage product distribution, e-controls, and partnerships.
  • Consumers are channel-agnostic, so brands must be, too. Consumers don’t distinguish between digital and physical touchpoints, and the end-to-end customer experience will often cross both brand-owned and partners’ digital experiences. Successful brands will act as one customer-centric organization, managing direct digital experiences alongside indirect digital commerce and engagement.
  • Understand your brand type to inform your digital strategy. As brands double down on their digital capabilities, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Executives must understand their brand type to identify the relative opportunity of the different digital commerce approaches and establish a clear digital commerce strategy.

To understand more about your brand’s digital commerce opportunity, read our research and connect with me via inquiry.