A D2C website needs a purchase flow designed in advance.
Many brands put effort into creating beautiful pages and are surprised when customers don't buy; the issue often lies in the checkout process, not the interface.
A direct-to-consumer (D2C) retail website differs from other types of websites in that it must both tell the brand story and function as a store, with these two tasks happening simultaneously during a browsing session. The highest drop-off points are not on the homepage but in the cart and checkout steps, where approximately 70 percent of customers abandon their purchase according to research by the Baymard Institute. Therefore, the priority in designing a D2C website must start from the purchasing flow, not from the color palette or visual style.
- Traffic is present but conversion is low, with many people abandoning their carts.
- new products that need to build trust before selling
- want to take control of customer data and profit margins
- require account creation, blocking casual customers from quick purchases
- checkout has too many fields and steps without a progress bar
When a direct-to-consumer (D2C) brand builds a website, the first question is often: "What should the design look like?" The more accurate question should be: "How do my customers make purchasing decisions, and does this website guide them through that process?" These two questions yield very different design outcomes.
Core differentiator of the D2C website
A typical website leads customers to a slow action: read more, get in touch, learn more. A D2C website must lead customers to a clearly defined action within the same browsing session, which is to spend money. This creates two parallel requirements that many brands mistakenly see as contradictory.
- Tell the brand story well enough to make customers want to buy, as most customers encounter the brand for the first time through this.
- Lead directly to the purchase action without creating friction (friction refers to any step that causes customers to pause or abandon the process).
These two tasks do not conflict if the page structure is designed correctly: tell a concise story at the top of the funnel, and minimize at the bottom of the funnel.
The place where customers drop off the most
The average cart abandonment rate is around 70 percent according to research by the Baymard Institute. This means that for every 10 people who add products to their cart, 7 do not complete the order. Most do not abandon because they dislike the product, but because they get stuck at a specific point in the checkout flow:
- Forced to create a new account before making a purchase.
- Too many fields to fill out, no progress bar indicating how many steps are left.
- Cannot definitively say which direction is cheaper as costs depend on production scale. High-quality clean photos require set design and lighting control; candid shots need real locations, real actors or customers, and sometimes a lot of waiting for the right moment. Sinh Vũ often advises choosing a direction based on prior positioning, then optimizing production costs within that direction.
- The purchase flow on mobile is confusing or slow, even though the desktop site looks good.
Baymard also notes that 18 percent of customers abandon their orders simply due to a lack of trust in the website. A clean and professional interface is an implicit trust signal, not just aesthetics.
When to prioritize purchase flow, when to prioritize storytelling
Prioritize optimizing the purchase and checkout flow when you have traffic but low conversion rates, or data shows many people abandon their carts. This is a technical experience problem, not a branding problem.
Prioritize building the brand story first when the product is new, customers are not familiar with the brand, or the product needs explanation to understand its value. At this stage, trust is more important than the speed of closing sales.
In reality, most D2C projects need both, but the order of priority and budget allocation depend on the stage the brand is in.
Technical factors that cannot be overlooked
For the Vietnamese market, there are several technical factors that directly affect the conversion rate that a D2C website needs to integrate correctly from the start:
- The appropriate payment portal: bank transfers, e-wallets, and cards must all be included because Vietnamese payment habits differ from those in other markets.
- Shipping integration: display shipping fees and delivery times right in the cart, without letting customers discover it at the final step.
- Optimized for mobile from the start: most of Vietnam's e-commerce traffic comes from mobile devices, and the purchasing flow on phones must be tested separately.
- Allow guest checkout: requiring account creation is one of the most common reasons for cart abandonment.
The optimal number of fields to fill in during checkout is about 7 to 8 fields. Each field beyond that significantly reduces the completion rate.
Baymard Institute, E-Commerce Cart & Checkout Usability Research
The viewpoint of Sinh Vũ
Sinh Vũ does not build D2C websites from a common framework. The approach starts from the specific decision-making sequence of the customer, tailored to each specific industry, before designing the flow. A skincare product requires more explanation before customers are ready to buy, and that website will have a different structure compared to a streetwear brand where images and brand feel are enough to drive the decision.
Regarding platforms, Sinh Vũ suggests based on revenue scale and operational capacity, it could be Shopify or a custom build, depending on your starting point. The important thing is that the platform must allow you to operate independently without needing technical assistance for every small change.
Decision checklist
Topic: What makes a D2C retail website different? Sinh Vũ guide, sinhvu.com
Select each item you find appropriate, then print or save as PDF to take with you.
If you have marked most of the signs above, this is the time to discuss in more detail. Sinh Vũ can help you review and propose a direction.
References
Baymard Institute: E-Commerce Cart & Checkout Usability Research. Practical experience of Sinh Vũ from retail web projects in the Vietnamese market.
Frequently asked questions
Does a D2C website necessarily have to be completely different from a regular business website?
Yes, regarding the goals and flow structure. A corporate website typically directs customers to contact or learn more. A D2C website must lead customers to complete their orders in that session. This affects the layout of each page, the placement of calls to action, and the simplicity of the checkout process.
If you are already selling well on e-commerce platforms, do you still need a separate D2C website?
Depending on your goals. Marketplaces provide you with traffic but retain customer data and squeeze profit margins through fees and general discount programs. A dedicated D2C website allows you to own customer data, build long-term relationships, and control the brand experience from start to finish. Decisions should be based on growth stages and operational capabilities.
How many fields in the checkout are reasonable?
According to Baymard Institute, around 7 to 8 fields is the optimal threshold. Each field exceeding that number significantly reduces the completion rate. Sinh Vũ often reviews clients' checkouts and looks for fields that can be combined, removed, or auto-filled from previous data.