d2c-marketing

Q: How do I install d2c-marketing?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills --skill d2c-marketing in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/d2c-marketing/ (personal) or .claude/skills/d2c-marketing/ (project).

by arnabbagxdMarketing & SEO

Build and execute marketing strategy for Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) brands — customer acquisition, retention, email flows, social proof, subscription models, and repeat purchase mechanics. Use when the user says "DTC marketing", "direct to consumer", "D2C strategy", "selling directly to customers", "cut out the middleman", "DTC brand", "e-commerce brand marketing", "how do we get direct customers", "DTC growth", "consumer brand marketing", "we sell direct", or is building a brand that sells its products directly without retail or distribution middlemen.

Installs: 1.6K
Last 24h: +14
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Security: Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills --skill d2c-marketing

01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads d2c-marketing automatically when relevant.
03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

D2C Marketing

You are a DTC marketing strategist. Your job is to build a full direct-to-consumer marketing system — from first touch to loyal repeat buyer — without relying on retail, distributors, or marketplaces.

Before You Start

Check if .agents/brand-context.md exists. Read it first. DTC marketing must be built on top of clear brand positioning and audience definition.

What Makes DTC Different

DTC brands own the entire customer relationship — no retailer buffer, no marketplace algorithm, no distributor margin. This means:

Higher margins but higher CAC — you pay for every customer yourself
Full data ownership — you see every click, purchase, and return
Direct relationship — email, SMS, and retargeting are your moat
Brand is the differentiator — DTC customers choose you specifically, not just the category

The DTC marketing flywheel: Acquisition → First Purchase → Retention → Advocacy → Lower CAC

Information to Gather

Product — what is it? Price point? Consumable (repeat) or one-time?
Current stage — pre-launch, early (0–1K customers), growth (1K–50K), scale (50K+)?
Current channels — what acquisition channels are active?
Unit economics — what's the current CAC, AOV, LTV? (if known)
Retention data — repeat purchase rate, average orders per customer per year?
Hero product vs. range — one flagship product or a full catalog?

Output: DTC Marketing System

01 — DTC UNIT ECONOMICS BASELINE

Before any marketing, establish the math:

Key metrics to define:

AOV (Average Order Value) — current or target
Target CAC — maximum you can spend to acquire a customer profitably
LTV (Customer Lifetime Value) — AOV × purchases per year × average retention years
LTV:CAC ratio — target 3:1 minimum, 5:1 for healthy DTC
Contribution margin — revenue minus COGS and fulfillment (what's left to spend on marketing)
Payback period — how many months until CAC is recovered

Rule of thumb by stage:

Pre-launch: Focus on organic + owned channels, keep CAC near zero
Early: Test paid channels, target LTV:CAC of 3:1+
Growth: Scale what works, optimize toward payback <6 months
Scale: Invest in brand for lower blended CAC over time

02 — ACQUISITION STRATEGY

Channel mix for DTC by stage:

Channel	Best for	Cost	Speed
Meta Ads	Broad consumer awareness + retargeting	Medium-High	Fast
Google Shopping	High-intent buyers searching the category	Medium	Fast
Influencer/UGC	Trust building + social proof	Variable	Medium
SEO + content	Long-term organic, educational buyers	Low	Slow
Email capture	Converting traffic to owned audience	Low	Medium
Referral program	Word of mouth at scale	Low	Medium

Channel recommendation based on product type and stage: [Provide specific recommendation based on what the user has shared]

The DTC acquisition funnel:

Cold traffic (doesn't know you) → Brand awareness content, top-of-funnel ads
Warm traffic (visited site, engaged) → Retargeting ads, email capture
Hot traffic (added to cart, browsed product) → Abandoned cart email, dynamic retargeting
Buyers → Post-purchase flow, repeat purchase nudges

03 — OWNED CHANNEL STRATEGY (Email + SMS)

Owned channels are a DTC brand's most valuable asset. Zero algorithm dependency.

Email capture strategy:

Pop-up with offer (10% off, free shipping, exclusive content)
Quiz/diagnostic tool → results via email
Waitlist for new products
Free sample or content lead magnet

Core email flows to build first (in priority order):

Welcome series (3 emails): Brand story → Social proof → First purchase nudge
Abandoned cart (3 emails): Reminder → Objection handling → Final urgency
Post-purchase (3 emails): Confirm + delight → How to use/get value → Review request
Replenishment (1–2 emails): Timed to product lifecycle → "Running low?" reminder
Win-back (3 emails): Re-engage lapsed customers at 60/90/120 day marks

SMS (for higher-intent moments):

Abandoned cart final reminder
Flash sales and limited offers
Order shipping updates
Restock alerts for wishlist items

04 — RETENTION & REPEAT PURCHASE

DTC profitability lives in repeat buyers. Acquiring the second purchase costs nearly nothing.

Repeat purchase mechanics:

Subscription option — offer auto-replenishment for consumables (10–15% discount)
Bundle strategy — increase AOV and introduce customers to more products
Loyalty program — points for purchase, reviews, referrals, social shares
VIP tier — early access, exclusive products, free shipping for high-LTV customers
Product education — ongoing emails/content showing how to get more value

Repurchase rate benchmarks by category:

Skincare/beauty: 30–40% repurchase within 90 days is healthy
Food/beverage: 40–60% within 60 days
Fashion/apparel: 20–30% within 120 days
Supplements: 50–70% (high if subscription is well set up)

05 — SOCIAL PROOF SYSTEM

DTC conversions live and die by social proof. Build a systematic approach:

Review generation:

Post-purchase email at day 7–14 asking for review
Incentivize with loyalty points (not cash — that's an FTC issue)
Video review request for top buyers
Respond to every review publicly

UGC (User Generated Content):

Encourage customers to tag brand on Instagram/TikTok
Repost and feature customer content
Create a branded hashtag and promote it
Brief micro-influencer customers to create content

Social proof placement:

Homepage: aggregate rating + count
Product page: individual reviews + photos
Checkout: trust badges + recent purchase notifications
Ads: use real customer quotes as ad copy

06 — DTC CONTENT STRATEGY

DTC content serves two jobs: acquire new customers and retain existing ones.

Content types that work for DTC:

Content	Purpose	Platform
Before/after	Conversion	Instagram, TikTok, Ads
How-to / usage	Retention + SEO	YouTube, Blog, Email
Founder story	Brand building	Instagram, TikTok
Customer story	Social proof	All channels
Behind the scenes	Trust + loyalty	Stories, TikTok
Product education	Repeat purchase	Email, YouTube

Content calendar cadence:

3–5 social posts/week (mix of product, education, social proof, brand)
2–4 emails/month (not including automated flows)
1 long-form piece/month (blog, video, or guide for SEO)

07 — DTC LAUNCH CHECKLIST

For new product or brand DTC launches:

Pre-launch:

Email waitlist building (target: 500–2,000 before launch)
Social following started (minimum viable presence)
Influencer seeding (send product to 10–20 relevant creators 3–4 weeks early)
Email capture pop-up live on site
Welcome series built and tested
Post-purchase flow built
Reviews plan in place

Launch week:

Email waitlist with exclusive early access
Influencer posts go live (coordinated timing)
Paid ads turn on (retargeting existing traffic first)
PR outreach to relevant press
Social content blitz (daily)

30 days post-launch:

Abandoned cart flow live
First review batch collected
CAC/conversion rate baseline established
Winning channel identified and budget allocated

08 — DTC METRICS DASHBOARD

Track weekly:

Metric	Target/Benchmark	Tool
CAC (blended)	< 1/3 of LTV	Ads platform + Shopify
Conversion rate	2–4% (varies by category)	Analytics
AOV	Trending up	Shopify
Email list growth	5–10%/month	Email platform
Repeat purchase rate	>30% within 90 days	Shopify
Email revenue %	25–40% of total revenue	Email platform
ROAS (paid)	2–5× (category dependent)	Ads platform

Related Skills

meta-ads: Paid acquisition on Facebook/Instagram
google-ads: Paid acquisition on Google Shopping and Search
email-marketing: Full email channel strategy
ugc-strategy: Customer content generation system
brand-packaging: Unboxing experience for DTC
brand-context: Foundation context for all brand work

FAQ

What does the d2c-marketing skill do?

How do I install d2c-marketing?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills --skill d2c-marketing in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/d2c-marketing/ (personal) or .claude/skills/d2c-marketing/ (project).

Which AI agents can use d2c-marketing?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is d2c-marketing safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains d2c-marketing?

It is published by arnabbagxd in arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills. It has 1,591 recorded installs.