Expert What happens when a brand has only one channel?

Sales on the marketplace are growing, and the entrepreneur is increasing purchases and planning deliveries. It seems that the business is already on its feet, and a working model has been found.

And then the site changes the commission, the tariff for logistics or the terms of promotion. And the profits that were in the calculations yesterday are starting to disappear.

Why is this happening?

80-100% of sales are in one channel. The business seems to have customers, but there is no direct contact with them. You cannot continue to communicate, find out why you chose your product, and return the person for a second purchase.

In fact, the brand rents demand from the site.

Let me tell you right away, I'm not against marketplaces. I’ve been promoting brands for over six years and I love Ozon. For strong logistics, analytics, advertising and integration capabilities with VK.

But the marketplace should fulfill its task, and not replace the brand with the entire sales system.

I would describe the architecture of the channels like this:

• Marketplace gives ready demand.
• Social media builds trust and community.
• The packaging continues to communicate after purchase.
• Site and CRM collect data and work with repeat sales.

Why is the brand a second channel?

A person comes to the marketplace primarily for goods. It compares price, delivery time, rating, reviews. Our task is to get into his field of choice and give enough arguments to order.

The advantages are clear: ready traffic, trust in the site, payment, logistics, the ability to quickly check demand.

But there is also the flip side: commissions, advertising costs, price competition and dependence on site decisions.

Therefore, I always advise you to look not only at the back. It is important to understand how much money is left after commission, logistics, storage, advertising, refunds and taxes. A large revenue with a falling margin looks beautiful only in the report.

A brand should have at least two sales channels. The second one does not have to give half a turn. At first, it can bring 5-10%, but already give experience with another audience and reduce dependence on one site.

You need to create the second route before you have problems with the first one.

At the same time, just going to another marketplace is not enough. Risks will be distributed between the sites, but the relationship with the buyer will still not be yours.

VK and MAX and other social networks are connected here.

In social networks, you can show what does not fit into the product card: production, team, values, real cases, answers to questions, scenarios for using the product. This is how the community gradually emerges. A person begins to follow a brand not only when he needs a product.

I like Ozon and VK. Content creates interest, and the site helps to quickly place an order. But if the community consists only of promo codes and the phrase “success to buy”, there is no need to subscribe to it. A brand should have a topic to talk to the audience.

Packaging also sells.

Another channel that many people underestimate is packaging.

Usually they think of it as follows: the main thing is that the goods traveled whole and the warehouse accepted it. This is a basic task, but not the only one.

Packaging is a means of communication and own media brand. It is guaranteed to be in the hands of the buyer after the order is paid.

A box, package, instruction or liner helps to use the product, introduces the range and resembles the brand name. Of course, all this must be done taking into account the rules of the site.

Now think of the packages of famous brands that people walk around the city with. A good package becomes almost a merch. A beautiful box is not thrown away. Successful unpacking is removed and published. The buyer shows the brand to his surroundings.

And this is no longer just the safety of goods. It's a post-sale promotion.

The site is not a marketplace, but next to it.

Your own online store is not necessary in order to immediately withdraw all orders from Ozon. Its task is to show the range, collect kits, launch promotions and loyalty program, return customers.

But there's an important nuance.

If you sell one product or several similar items, it will be difficult to promote the site. The buyer does not understand why he left the usual marketplace for the same small storefront.

You need a reason: exclusive set, special service, useful content, personal consultation, subscription, loyalty program. If there is no reason, traffic will have to be bought all the time.

Your website is not a magic button. Developing a brand and online store will take time, money, content and team. I think it's important to talk about it before launch, not after the first ad spend.

In this context, I am interested in Yandex KIT. It helps to start an online store faster without developing from scratch. The platform is free and does not charge a commission on sales. You can connect your domain, transfer goods from marketplaces, 1C, Excel or “My Warehouse”, set up payment, delivery, CRM and orders. Commodity feeds are transferred to Search, there are SEO and Direct tools.

For an existing seller, this is a good way to test your own channel without major development investments.

It is important to count the entire economy. The absence of a KIT commission does not mean that sales will be free. There will be acquiring, advertising, logistics, CRM, content and team work. The service is available to individual entrepreneurs and legal entities, designed for physical goods and is not suitable for all categories.

Where to start?

• Calculate the share of turnover and profit of each channel.
• Choose the second source of sales.
• Decide what the brand will talk about on social media.
• Reconsider packaging as a point of contact with the customer.
• Determine why a person needs your website.
• Link channels with analytics and evaluate not only the first order, but also the second purchase.

Marketplace can quickly grow sales. But sustainability begins when the buyer remembers not only the site where he placed the order, but also the brand from which he bought.