Choosing a marketing agency for a D2C brand
What to ask a marketing agency before hiring them for a D2C brand, and the signals that suggest they understand margin, not just top-line growth.
4 min read
Cart abandonment in D2C is rarely one single cause — it is usually several small friction points that each cost a percentage of buyers, adding up to a large share of lost sales by the time checkout is complete.
The most common, most fixable problems
- Forced account creation before checkout — offer guest checkout as the default path.
- Shipping cost only revealed at the final step, after the buyer has already invested time.
- Too few payment options, especially missing UPI or a preferred wallet for the Indian market.
- Address entry that is slow or error-prone on mobile.
Trust signals at the point of payment
A checkout page that suddenly looks different from the rest of the site, or lacks visible security badges and a clear return policy link, can trigger last-moment hesitation, particularly for a newer or less well-known brand. Consistency in design through checkout matters more than most brands assume.
A buyer who has already added items to cart and started checkout is a warm lead — every extra field is a chance to lose them anyway.
Measuring the actual drop-off
Set up funnel tracking specifically for the checkout steps (cart, shipping, payment, confirmation) rather than only tracking overall conversion rate — this shows exactly which step is losing the most people, rather than leaving you to guess.
The takeaway
Offer guest checkout by default — forcing account creation before purchase is one of the most common, avoidable causes of D2C cart abandonment.
Written by Fibvo — Bengaluru and Erode, India — working with clients in other time zones. Questions, or think we have it wrong? Tell us.
Keep reading
Related articles
What to budget for digital marketing as a D2C brand
How to think about a D2C marketing budget in relation to contribution margin, and why 'percentage of revenue' rules can mask an unprofitable growth channel.
4 min readDigital marketing checklist for a D2C brand in 2026
A practical checklist covering website, ads, email and margin tracking for a D2C brand reviewing its digital marketing setup.
5 min readNext step
Tell us what you are trying to grow.
Send the problem in a paragraph. We will reply within one working day with an honest view of whether we can help, and what it is likely to cost.