Social media traffic dividends and supply chain dividends have allowed DTC brands and independent website sellers to make rapid progress on the road to global expansion, and a number of unicorn companies have also been created during the epidemic. However, as competition intensifies and overseas controls on online privacy tighten, especially when FB and GG have successively introduced control policies for user data capture, DTC brands have encountered growth difficulties. Compared with the past, those methods of calculating ROI for initial traffic purchases are no longer effective, and brands need to have a long-term plan. It is imperative to try new ideas and new methods. It is difficult to obtain every lead and traffic. It is essential to improve consumer experience, retain users, and increase the conversion rate on the site. This article will share with you the small details of two independent website brands and the tools used to play them.
3D model display and AR (augmented reality)
It is difficult to capture the interest of Generation Z consumers with the same picture display format. Now more and more independent websites are using 3D models or AR to display products.
Plane photos are somewhat lacking in details, while 3D models can be flipped up and down to see product details 360 degrees without blind spots. Of course, AR applications are not just reflected in the appearance display. For example, a consumer wants to buy a product, but he is not sure whether the product is the right size. Through AR, we can easily solve this problem.
Similarly, if you are dealing in fast-moving consumer goods, such as clothes, shoes, hats, jewelry, etc., because overseas consumers have slightly different body shapes than ours, disputes often arise due to size issues. Through AR, consumers can "try on" before purchasing, which greatly reduces the complaint rate.
According to reports from foreign websites, the conversion rate of independent websites using AR is much higher than that of independent websites that only use pictures, andAR can not only be used as a product display tool, but also as a marketing tool, such as the above animated display. The lily women's clothing brand has also placed their AR large screens in subway stations for everyone to try on to increase brand exposure. Of course, we can also make some AR/3D renderings of products and put them on Facebook or Instagram to attract traffic.
For those who use SAAS to build websites, you can use tools to create your own AR product renderings. Let’s take the Shopify ecosystem as an example:
Shopify official
If you are a novice, it is recommended to have a 2.0 series of theme templates to directly upload 3D models. The file supports both gltf and glb file formats. If you want to set up AR effects, the process is as follows:
Steps:
1. In the Shopify admin, clickSettings > Apps & Sales Channels。
2. On the Applications and Sales Channels page, clickonline store。
3. Click "Open sales channels”。
4. Next to the current template, clickAction>Modify code。
5. In "Layout” folder, click “{/} theme.liquid”。
6. Find the mark. It should be near the top of the file. <head>
7. On the next line, paste the following code:
<script
src=”https://cdn.shopifycloud.com/ar-quicklook-js/assets/v1/shopify3d.js“
crossorigin=”anonymous”
></script>
8. Clicksave。
9. In "part” folder, click“{/} product-template.liquid”。
10. Paste the following code at the top of the file:
<script>
(function(s3d) {
if (!s3d) {
console.warn(‘”window.Shopify3d” does not exist. Please ensure you\’ve added the <script> to your theme’);
return;
}
{% for variant in product.variants %}
s3d.mapMetafieldAssets(‘{{ variant.id }}’, ‘{{ variant.metafields.shopify3d[‘assets’] }}’);
{% endfor %}
})(window.Shopify3d);
</script>
11. Click Save.
The disadvantage is that if you use multiple product templates, you also have to add code to these template files, which is more troublesome.
Aritize3D
Although the monthly fee is as low as US$9.9, it is charged based on the number of 3D models. The usage fee is high and it is suitable for placing detailed models in the navigation bar. A thirty-day free trial is provided, but the model requires additional purchase and is more expensive, making it suitable for high-end players.
Angle3D
The monthly fee is 39.9 US dollars, and a 14-day free trial is provided. It is easy to operate and can be used directly by newcomers to the code-free platform. Just upload the GLB file to the file library or contact the official to help you create a 3D model.
Chatbot
Generally, independent websites collect customer forms by collecting emails, but now is the era of online instant messaging, and it is also an era where consumers are pursuing user experience.When purchasing a product, the user experience is completely different between waiting three days for a reply and a real-time reply. Chatbots can respond to messages immediately and can also classify customers.Among the customers served by SocialEpoch, some DTC brands/independent stations will use chatbots to guide customers to the WhatsApp community through workflow, or establish 1V1 connections. The advantage of this model is that customers are tagged through WhatsApp SCRM and customers are stratified by user behavior. Therefore, when re-marketing/user awakening, the brand can send marketing information to thousands of people based on user portraits, greatly improving the retention rate. It is difficult to grow now. If you do not retain owned channels, the customer churn rate will be as high as three times.
For DTC/independent website sellers, while actively expanding more channels, they also need to improve user experience to retain users and promote operational growth. Global expansion DTC brands are also letting a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend: some have established physical stores overseas and adopted the Haidilao model; some have gone to the B-side and developed tens of thousands of distributors around the world; some have copied the domestic owned channel model, started community operations, and recruited "overseas team leaders" to start distribution fission. There are many strategies, and generally they all revolve around the core of "customer-centricity".
