Thriving in 2024: The New Ecom Playbook is here

It’s only July and 2024 has been quite the whirlwind for Indian D2C brands. From February’s fake order fiasco, to Meta’s multiple outages, to Google’s brutal SEO updates, the Gods of ecom have not been kind to smaller businesses this year….or so you would like to think.

While there are some things we can control and some we can’t, one key factor that differentiates winners from losers is how well-prepared they are for these tough times. Your business health is not defined by how good your good days are. On the contrary, the lesser worse your bad days are, the more ahead of the competition you’ll be. 

This has been my biggest takeaway from 2024. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. 

The Old E-commerce Playbook: Time to Move On

Remember when e-commerce was all about:

• High Margins + Low Prices: Selling cheap and pocketing big margins was the norm.
• Free Shipping + Discounts: Offering free shipping and big discounts to lure customers.
• Optimized Ad Account: Tweaking your ads to squeeze every bit of ROI.
• One-time Purchases: Focusing on getting as many single transactions as possible.
• Throw a bunch of ads on Meta and get easy sales.

The New E-commerce Playbook: What’s Working Now

Fast forward to today, and successful e-commerce looks quite different. Here’s what’s hot right now:

• Creative Content: It's not just about selling a product; it's about telling a story that resonates.
• Memberships and Subscription Services: Building a loyal customer base with regular, recurring revenue. [While this does not work that well in India, communities go a long way. Even simple whatsapp communities]
• High Margins + High Quality: People are willing to pay more for quality.
• Whale Customers and High LTV: Focusing on customers who spend more over time and increase their lifetime value.
• Bundles + Free Shipping Thresholds: Encouraging customers to buy more by offering deals on bundles and setting free shipping thresholds.
  [Goal is to keep increasing your AOV MOM]
• Whitelisting accounts & meaningful creator partnerships.

Organic is the way to go

The more a brand pays attention to activities OUTSIDE of performance marketing, the higher chance of survival and thrival it has.
What was earlier reserved for "advanced" marketers, is now becoming the normal for all brands.

• Retention focused acquisition strategy
• Omnichannel is key
• Brands which invest the highest in education win.
• Reddit is a sleeping Giant.
• SEO may be dying but something new is about to take its place. keep watching this space.
• Whatsapp chatbots are a hidden goldmine of opportunity.
• A/B testing landing pages is about to go mainstream.
• Loyalty programs are underrated and underutilised.
• 2025 will be the year whenFounder lead marketing takes over.
• There is a right way to do discounting. learn it so that you don't bleed.
• Conversion rate optimisation is going to blow up unlike anything before.
• Leverage the Shopify universe's abundant & evergrowing tech stack.

Before You Freak Out: The Old Stuff Still Matters

Hold up, don’t throw out everything just yet. Some of the old tricks still work:

• High Margins and Competitive Pricing: You still need to keep your margins healthy and prices attractive.
• Free Shipping and Discounts: These are still great tools when used strategically. Just don’t overdo them.
• Effective Media Buying: A well-optimized ad account is still key to driving traffic.
• Viral Products: Having that one standout product that catches fire can still be a game-changer.

Mastering the New Playbook: What You Need to Focus On

So, what should you be doing now to win in e-commerce? Here are the must-haves:

• Creative That Speaks to Your Audience: Develop content that connects emotionally with your customers. Authenticity is key.
• Optimized Checkout Experiences: Make the checkout process as smooth as possible to maximize average order value (AOV). Offer upsells and make it easy.
  CRO CRO CRO CRO
• Building Communities and Memberships: Create a sense of belonging. Communities and memberships can significantly boost lifetime value (LTV).
• Leveraging Zero-Party Data: Use data that customers willingly provide to personalize their experience and fine-tune your marketing.

The Risks of Sticking to the Old Model

Brands that refuse to adapt are running into big problems:

• High Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC): It’s getting more expensive to attract new customers.
• Unsustainable Spending: Old strategies lead to high costs and low returns.
• Consumer Disengagement: Today’s shoppers want more than just low prices—they’re looking for quality, community, and a connection with the brands they buy from.
  (see dwindling retention rates quarter on quarter? You know where the problem lies.)

Wrapping It Up

The e-commerce landscape is evolving, and the strategies that worked in the past aren’t enough anymore. To stay ahead, you need to embrace creativity, build loyal communities, and focus on high-quality products and customer experiences. Relying on agencies alone is not enough, and founders NEED to get into the battle-field to get their hands dirty. The marketing ecosystem is evolving at a rate faster than ever before and unless one of the founders of a business is directly on top of this universe, your brand will get left behind.

If you made it all the way here, you'll be glad to know that Porcellia is not really an agency, but more like your fractional co-founder. We're the ideal marketing partner for someone who does not come from a core consumer/marketing background and if you're a D2C brand creating real value and making a difference in unchartered territories, we'd love to speak with you!