The B2B Guide to Going D2C: A Step-by-Step Strategy for Manufacturing and Wholesale Brands 🏭➡️💻
- Charlie McBroom
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
For decades, your business has relied on distributors, retailers, and wholesalers. You manufactured the goods or moved the bulk, and someone else handled the customer. It was simple, but it left a lot of profit and customer insight on the table.
Today, more B2B (Business-to-Business) companies are realizing the immense opportunity in going D2C (Direct-to-Consumer). Selling directly unlocks higher margins, grants access to invaluable customer data, and allows you to build a true brand identity.
However, moving from pallets and purchase orders to single-item fulfilment and customer service is a massive operational shift. This step-by-step guide provides a clear roadmap for manufacturing and wholesale brands to successfully launch their D2C channel.
Phase 1: The Strategic & Operational Audit
Before you launch a single product, you must understand how D2C will impact your existing structure.
1. Identify Your Core D2C Offering
You shouldn't—and often can't—sell your entire B2B catalogue D2C immediately.
Select a Pilot Product: Choose a small subset of high-margin items, unique variants, or new products that won't directly compete with your biggest wholesale partners. This limits operational complexity and risk.
Determine Pricing Strategy: You must establish a clear price separation. Your D2C price must be high enough to justify the margin and cover the increased fulfilment costs, yet not so high that it alienates future wholesale partners.
2. Audit Your Operational Gaps
Your B2B systems are optimized for bulk, not single-item logistics. Identify where your current setup fails for D2C:
B2B Requirement | D2C Requirement | Operational Gap to Address |
Pallet Shipping | Parcel Shipping | You need small-box packaging, varied carrier rates, and automated label generation. |
Weekly/Monthly Orders | Minute-to-Minute Orders | You need real-time inventory sync to prevent overselling across multiple channels. |
Net 30/60 Invoicing | Instant Payment Processing | You need e-commerce payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal, etc.) integrated with your website. |
Phase 2: Building the D2C Foundation (The Tech Stack)
Your existing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or internal manufacturing system is likely not built for fast, transactional D2C sales. You need a dedicated, integrated e-commerce platform.
3. Choose the Right Platform
For your initial D2C launch, choose a platform that prioritizes speed and integration:
Recommended Platforms: Shopify (for speed and scalability), BigCommerce, or WooCommerce. These systems are designed to handle high transaction volumes and feature quick, reliable payment gateways.
The Integration Priority: The platform must be able to talk to your existing back-office system (ERP or accounting software). Look for systems that can seamlessly integrate with powerful Order Management Systems (OMS) like Linnworks or Veeqo to handle the data flow.
4. Implement a Centralized OMS
This is the most critical technical step for B2B brands. A centralized OMS acts as the translator between your B2B warehouse logic and your D2C reality.
Role of the OMS: It aggregates all D2C orders from your website, pulls real-time inventory levels from your warehouse management system (WMS) or ERP, and pushes those orders out for single-item fulfillment.
Automation: The OMS handles the automation of inventory synchronization, shipping rule assignment, and financial data routing to avoid manual data entry errors that cripple margins.
Phase 3: Fulfilment & Customer Experience
This is where B2B brands experience the biggest shock. Customer service and fulfillment must be re-engineered for the individual.
5. Re-Engineer the Warehouse Floor
You cannot pick a single item from a pallet rack designed for a forklift.
Dedicated D2C Area: Create a physically separate area on your warehouse floor for D2C stock and fulfillment. This area should use shelving and bin locations suitable for single-item picking.
Optimized Process: Implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for single-item picking, packing, and shipping. This must be a different process than your B2B pallet picks.
Outsourcing Option: If volume is uncertain or low, consider partnering with a 3PL (Third-Party Logistics) provider for D2C fulfilment. This allows you to launch D2C without immediately reconfiguring your own facility.
6. Master D2C Customer Service
In B2B, a mistake is handled via a phone call. In D2C, a mistake is a public 1-star review.
Dedicated Channels: Establish dedicated support channels (email, live chat, or phone) and commit to a rapid response time (ideally within 4 hours).
Proactive Communication: Use automated systems to send real-time tracking updates, shipping confirmations, and post-delivery check-ins.
Clear Returns Policy: Your B2B "all sales final" policy won't work. Create a simple, clear, and easy-to-use returns portal and process that builds consumer trust.
Conclusion: Turning Operational Complexity into Competitive Advantage
The shift from B2B to D2C is not simply about launching a new website; it's an operational transformation. It requires expertise in systems integration, warehouse flow, and customer experience—all areas that were historically managed by your partners.
By implementing a centralized OMS and setting up dedicated SOPs, you gain the agility of a lean D2C startup while leveraging the manufacturing power of your existing wholesale business. This is how you convert operational complexity into a powerful competitive advantage.
Ready to launch your D2C channel but need to ensure your operational foundation is built for scale? Fitted Commerce specializes in fitting systems, automating workflows, and integrating technologies like Linnworks and Veeqo to bridge the gap between B2B and profitable D2C success.
Comments