Direct-to-Consumer Marketing Examples: 5 Strategies from Real Brands

Direct-to-consumer (DTC or D2C) has become one of the fastest-growing sales models in e-commerce. 86% of companies now generate up to 50% of total revenue from consumer-direct channels. For manufacturers, the appeal is clear. You keep the margins that would otherwise go to wholesalers, control your brand image, prices, and marketing.

This growth raises the bar. Competing in DTC means proving value at every click. Buyers expect clear options, transparent pricing, fast delivery, and a seamless digital experience. In this article, we show you how DTC manufacturers use marketing to improve product discovery, 3D visualization, UX, delivery speed, and manufacturing scale to convert more buyers and keep them coming back.

What Is D2C Marketing?

Direct-to-consumer (DTC or D2C) marketing is a model where manufacturers sell their products directly to end customers without involving wholesalers, distributors, or retailers.

Instead of handing off their goods to a third party, brands create their own sales channels, most often through dedicated e-commerce websites. That means they can shape their story from the very first ad a customer sees, through the website experience, to the unboxing moment at home.

The approach has gained momentum among manufacturers because it allows them to take control of their marketing and business. When products go through retailers, manufacturers often lose visibility into who their customers are and how they shop.

A DTC model puts that knowledge back in their hands. It also eliminates the restrictions of limited shelf space or retailer buying priorities, letting manufacturers present their full catalog and highlight niche or customizable products that might otherwise never make it to market.

The Benefits and Challenges of Direct-to-Consumer

The DTC model isn’t slowing down. U.S. DTC ecommerce sales grew from $212.9 billion in 2024 to a projected $239.75 billion in 2025. Growth at this scale proves the opportunity, but it also intensifies the challenges that come with running a D2C business.

Benefits of DTC:

• Higher gross margins: You set your own prices without splitting revenue with resellers.
• Full brand control: You own the messaging, UX, packaging, and customer relationship.
• Personalization: You can tailor the shopping experience to individual preferences.
• Data Capture: You collect data directly from your customers through your own channels.

Challenges of DTC:

• Scaling: Full ownership of fulfillment, logistics, and customers is resource-intensive.
• Competition: With 110k+ DTC brands in the U.S., you need a strong differentiation.
• Acquisition costs: Paid ads keep customer acquisition expensive and margins thin.
• Customer expectations: they can be difficult for smaller manufacturers to deliver.

The benefits explain why so many manufacturers are embracing D2C, and the challenges show why not all of them succeed. So what does success look like in practice? Let’s take a closer look at five manufacturers that have built strong D2C businesses and the marketing strategies that set them apart.

1 - Centro: Making a Large Catalog a Marketing Advantage

What they sell: Custom cushions and pillows.

The challenge: Over 500+ fabric patterns and colors, plus fully customizable dimensions.

A catalog this large can overwhelm buyers if presented as a simple dropdown or endless scroll. Centro solved this by introducing an AI product assistant that guides customers through the catalog. Instead of manually browsing hundreds of fabrics, shoppers can describe their needs in plain language: “I have a dog,” or “I’m looking for something in grey, stain-resistant linen”.

The AI assistant instantly filters to the most relevant options. This makes the buying journey faster, less frustrating, and more personal, turning what could be a barrier into a differentiator.

Takeaway for DTC brands: A large catalog can be a great marketing asset if it’s easy to explore. Use guided selling, smart filters, AI assistants, or configurators that simplify decision-making. This reduces cart abandonment, increases conversion rates, and improves marketing performance.

2 - Picture Perfect: Using Visualization to Build Trust

What they sell: Custom bathroom vanities.

The challenge: High variation in design, space, and style preferences.

Designing a vanity is not a straightforward purchase. Buyers need to consider layout, finishes, accessories, and budget while trying to visualize how everything will look together. Picture Perfect solved this with an interactive 3D configurator that allows customers to design their vanity in real time.

They can start from scratch or use pre-curated inspiration, rotate the 3D model, add walls or sinks, and see prices update instantly with every choice. This turns a complex, high-consideration purchase into a fast, engaging, and confidence-building experience.

Takeaway for DTC brands: When products involve multiple variables, static photos are not enough. Give your customers interactive and visual tools to design and preview their purchase in real time. This builds trust  and increases conversion by making complex products easy to understand and buy.

3 - L’Atelier: Reflecting Premium Quality in the Buying Experience

What they sell: Luxury made-to-measure kitchen ranges.

The challenge: Translating a high-end brand image into a digital shopping experience.

When selling premium products, the online buying journey must reflect the same level of quality as the product itself. If the user experience feels generic, the brand’s value proposition is weakened. L’Atelier solved this with a custom 3D configurator combined with an AI design assistant. Buyers configure their kitchen range in real time within an interface that communicates the brand’s values.

Every element of the UX, from typography and layout to animations and navigation, was carefully designed. This ensures that the premium positioning of L’Atelier Paris is consistently communicated at every stage of the buying process.

Takeaway for DTC brands:UX is not just usability, it is brand marketing. If you sell premium products, your digital experience must feel premium too. Every design decision communicates value and reinforces your positioning.

4 - Fresh Prints: Turning Fast Delivery into a Marketing Promise

What they sell: Custom apparel for university organizations and sports clubs.

The challenge: Manual design processes delayed orders and slowed delivery to customers.

In custom manufacturing, every extra step before production adds to delivery time. Fresh Prints used to rely on designers to prepare proofs for customers, which meant days of back-and-forth before an order could even enter production. To eliminate this bottleneck, they introduced an interactive design tool that allows shoppers to customize apparel in real time.

As soon as the customer completes their design, the system generates a print-ready file automatically and sends it to production. This significantly shortens delivery times, which is a decisive factor in conversions and repeat purchases.

Takeaway for DTC brands: Faster delivery is one of the strongest differentiators in direct-to-consumer. Delivery speed is part of your marketing. Customers buy not only the product but also the promise of when it arrives.

5 - Kilo: Scaling Operations to Support Marketing Growth

What they sell: Modular furniture including shelving, tables, storage, and chairs.

The challenge: Keeping operations efficient while handling more orders.

For DTC manufacturers, growth often creates operational friction. As order volumes increase, manual handoffs between sales and production lead to delays, and frustrated customers. Kilo solved this by integrating its 3D configurator directly with production systems.

When a customer finishes configuring and places an order, the configurator automatically generates the manufacturing files and sends them to the production team. The order is also logged in a central dashboard that gives teams real-time visibility. This allows Kilo to process more orders without adding overhead and make growth sustainable.

Takeaway for DTC manufacturers: Scaling is not just about selling more. To grow successfully, connect sales with production so orders flow automatically. This reduces errors, removes bottlenecks, and keeps the promises your marketing makes.

How Salsita 3D Configurator Supports Stronger DTC Marketing

In direct-to-consumer, marketing does not stop at creating demand. It extends across the entire buying journey. How products are presented, how easy it is for buyers to customize them, how well the digital experience reflects the brand, and how fast orders are delivered. Every one of these touchpoints shapes customer decisions and loyalty.

Salsita 3D Configurator helps manufacturers improve these touchpoints. It helps customers find the right product quickly, understand it through interactive 3D visualization, and experience a shopping journey that matches the quality of the brand. At the same time, it reduces delays before production and ensures sales connect smoothly to manufacturing.

The result is a buying experience that supports stronger marketing outcomes: higher conversion, greater trust, and lasting customer relationships.

Do you want to strengthen your DTC marketing? Get in touch: