Ecommerce merchants looking to increase order volume and boost customer acquisition can utilize direct checkout links to their advantage. By simplifying the buying process for customers with direct links to checkout (with the right product already populated), converting new shoppers becomes even easier. Plus, order volume can be increased thanks to the ease of checking out with direct links. 

In this blog, we’ll explore why these direct checkout links are an important ecommerce strategy, and the impact they’ve had for Recharge merchants. After releasing direct checkout links in December 2022, we’ve seen firsthand the results they’ve had for ecommerce brands utilizing them. 

Why are direct checkout links an important strategy?

Direct checkout links are a crucial ecommerce strategy because of their ability to streamline the purchasing process for customers. By sending a direct link to checkout with the item prepopulated —and therefore taking out all the legwork that goes into choosing products and adding them to the cart—brands have a greater chance at converting customers. In short, direct checkout links eliminate unnecessary steps in the buying journey.

Plus, direct checkout links allow merchants to get very specific with their marketing campaigns. For example, a store could run a remarketing ad to someone who has abandoned their cart with a certain coffee product. If the person clicks on the ad, that specific coffee product is already prepopulated in the cart for them—making it faster and easier to complete their checkout.

Another great advantage of direct checkout is that these links can be embedded into websites, social media platforms, and marketing campaigns, and sent through email. This makes them adaptable to your brand’s needs and your specific goals. 

The impact of direct checkout links

For merchants using direct checkout links, we’ve seen two huge benefits: expansion of their customer base and an increase in order volume. Below, we’ll dive into each of these impacts. 

Expanding your customer base

Brands that are using direct checkout links are able to expand their customer base by acquiring customers for the very first time. When comparing the shoppers that purchase with direct checkout links from Recharge merchants, a higher percentage of them are new customers. 

This trend is consistent across merchants of all different industries and sizes, making it a strong indicator that direct checkout links can have a direct impact on customer acquisition. Brands are able to use checkout links to aid with their customer acquisition without cannibalizing new shoppers from other channels. Plus, many of the customers acquired through direct checkout links provide returning revenue. 

Increasing order volume

Something exciting we’ve seen since releasing direct checkout links has been its impact on order volume. Merchants who used direct checkout links saw, on average, a 1% lift in order volume this year. The top direct checkout link using merchants saw an almost 5% increase in order volume. 

Recharge merchant Global Tea Hut saw direct checkout link purchases increase over time, while those from other checkout channels remained consistent month over month—proving how valuable these links can be in converting new customers and as a tactic for new customer acquisition. 

Enhancing direct checkout links 

After witnessing our merchants utilize direct checkout links successfully, we’ve continued to look for ways to improve this strategy. Ecommerce brands using these links have already seen increased order volume and greater customer acquisition thanks to the ease of purchasing from a direct checkout link. 

So, what’s next? We’re always looking for ways to make direct checkout links better. Some things we are considering include:

• Select a specific variant to be used in the direct checkout link
• Input discount codes to be automatically applied in the direct checkout link
• Select multiple products to be included in a direct checkout link
• Select custom quantity to be included in a direct checkout link

If you’re a merchant with specific feedback for us, we’d love to hear it. Leave your feedback here and stay tuned for updates to direct checkout links soon. 

At Recharge, we value privacy and handle personal information accordingly. Learn more about how we handle personal information by reviewing our Trust Center.

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Not only are direct checkout links simple for customers to use, but they also have many benefits for ecommerce merchants. As one of the most powerful targeted marketing tools out there, direct checkout links can help you personalize the customer journey, hit your target audience with the right offerings, and help your brand connect with the right shoppers in the right channel. 

To learn more about this target marketing strategy and how to effectively use direct checkout links, continue reading. 

The importance of targeted marketing strategies

The best marketing strategies are those driven by data, enhanced over time, and continually improved upon. Targeted marketing strategies are successful because they:

• Are personalized for high engagement 
• Reach the right audience with the right offering
• Use the proper channels for sharing specific information

With personalization, marketing strategies can be targeted to specific shoppers—aligning language, offerings, prices, and certain promotions with the needs and desires of that audience. This leads to higher engagement and conversion rates, when customers are shown exactly what they’re looking for, at the right time.  

When ecommerce brands reach the right audience with the right offering at the right time, that’s when marketing magic happens. By segmenting audiences in marketing campaigns—based on demographics, behavior, preferences, and more—you can show your customers offerings that are relevant to them. And with direct checkout links, you can make it even easier for them to shop what you’re offering. 

Finally, utilizing the right channels is crucial. With social media, email, and influencer marketing, brands have endless opportunities to use direct checkout links and make conversions across channels. 

Building a powerful solution for targeted marketing

Direct checkout links are exactly as they sound: links that, when clicked, take a customer directly to a checkout cart that has been pre-populated with the exact right products and associated subscription intervals. They can be extremely useful for both the merchant and the customer, and ultimately lead to a successful conversion. 

When used strategically, direct checkout links can save a customer time and effort and also increase the likelihood of a sale for a merchant. 

So how exactly does it work? It may vary across providers, but Recharge specifically allows you to create direct checkout links right from the Product page. A link is automatically generated that you can then plug and play in various situations, such as targeted email campaigns or specific cross-sell and upsell campaigns. 

Below we’ll go through just some of the many ways you can utilize direct checkout links.

How to effectively use direct checkout links 

In a business’ infancy, experimentation is key in determining how to best leverage strategies like direct checkout links. As your business grows, however, it’s important to collect and analyze customer data to segment your audience and deliver personalized direct checkout links with relevant product offerings at the exact right time, place, and to the right people.

1. Targeted email campaigns & promotions

Include direct checkout links in personalized email campaigns to engage specific customer segments. Customize the content and offerings based on their preferences, purchase history, or browsing behavior. These are also particularly effective when promoting new products, or during promotional periods like the holidays. 

Direct checkout links can also be shared in social media campaigns to target your followers and engage potential customers. It’s important to create compelling posts that highlight exclusive offers, limited-time promotions, or new product releases to get the high engagement your brand is looking for.

2. Retargeting campaigns

Utilize direct checkout links in retargeting campaigns to re-engage visitors who showed interest in specific products or abandoned their carts. By directing them back to a pre-configured checkout cart, you can increase the likelihood of them completing the purchase.

3. Influencer partnerships & affiliate marketing programs

Similar to social media campaigns, collaborating with influencers through an affiliate marketing program relevant to your industry or target audience is another vehicle where direct checkout links can be useful. 

You can provide influencers or partners with direct checkout links to share with their followers, accompanied by authentic and persuasive content that encourages conversions. Consider offering them incentives or commission for driving sales through their unique links, encouraging them to actively promote your offerings.

By utilizing influencer marketing, you can limit the barrier to conversion twofold by capitalizing on the trust already built between influencers and their audience, and reducing the steps needed to checkout. 

4. Cross-sell & upsell opportunities

Leverage direct checkout links to offer complementary or upgraded products during the checkout process. By pre-selecting these items in the checkout cart, you can encourage customers to add them to their purchase, boosting average order value. Primal Kitchen does this well through a careful analysis of when in the shopping journey it is most effective to upsell or cross-sell. 

5. QR codes & offline promotions

Despite being in a digital world, you can actually greatly benefit from including direct checkout links in offline marketing materials, such as print ads, brochures, or signage. By creating QR codes linked to direct checkout URLs, you can seamlessly bridge the gap between offline and online shopping experiences.

Utilizing direct checkout links with Recharge

It’s abundantly clear that direct checkout links can offer a seamless experience for merchants and customers alike. With Recharge’s direct checkout link feature we’ve already seen almost a hundred stores utilizing it—and seeing increases of up to 10% of their daily gross merchandise value (GMV) in the first 90 days of implementation. 

The journey isn’t over and ecommerce is constantly evolving, so we’re continuing to ask our merchants for feedback to collaborate on how we can make this feature even more powerful.

We’re looking at some specific enhancements to do just that, such as:

• Select a specific variant to be used in the direct checkout link
• Input discount codes to be automatically applied in the direct checkout link
• Select multiple products to be included in a direct checkout link
• Select custom quantity to be included in a direct checkout link

Stay up to date with Recharge and our enhancements to direct checkout link features with our Recharge product roadmap. 

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