Channel Creation · B2B → D2C
Could your B2B business sell directly to consumers?
Your business may already have the product, expertise, supply chain, operational capability or reputation. What it may not have is a consumer proposition.
Evans helps established B2B, trade, manufacturing and wholesale businesses determine whether a direct-to-consumer (D2C or B2C) channel makes commercial sense — and, where it does, helps create it.
This is not “we will build you an ecommerce website”. It is creating an additional commercial channel — proposition, economics, operations and customer journey — with the website as one part of it.
B2B → D2C Programme
From £1,995 + VAT
per month · 6 months
Managed Channel Growth
From £1,995 + VAT
per month · ongoing
Can a B2B business sell direct to consumers?
A B2B business can sell directly to consumers when there is credible consumer demand, a proposition consumers can sensibly buy, and economics that still work after acquisition, fulfilment, returns and service costs. Evans tests those first and recommends not building the channel when the evidence is poor.
Who B2B → D2C may suit
Established businesses with something proven.
Not every B2B business should sell D2C. The programme starts by establishing whether there is credible consumer demand and whether the economics make sense.
- Manufacturers
- Wholesalers
- Trade suppliers
- Commercial contractors
- Specialist fabricators
- Product businesses
- Construction and trade businesses
- Food manufacturers
- Furniture manufacturers
- Home and interior product businesses
- Specialist engineering and product companies
- Businesses dependent on distributors
- Businesses whose capability could be repackaged for homeowners or consumers
The commercial case
Why a B2B company might consider D2C
Potential reasons
- Access to an additional customer base
- Reduced dependence on a single channel
- More control over customer experience
- Direct customer data
- A potential margin opportunity
- The ability to test new propositions
- Monetising existing capability
- Using spare operational capacity
- Building a consumer-facing brand asset
- Less reliance on a few large customers
- Another route to growth where the trade market is constrained
What a D2C model also has to pay for
- Customer acquisition
- Returns
- Customer service
- Fulfilment
- Marketing
- Consumer expectations
- Payment costs
- Technology
- Brand investment
- Delivery complexity
D2C does not automatically create higher margins. Evans evaluates the whole commercial model, not just the headline revenue.
Hypothetical examples
How it can work.
Illustrative examples only. Not Evans client case studies.
Illustrative example — not an Evans case study
Trade builder → homeowner brand
Before: An established groundworks and extension contractor works mainly for developers, commercial contractors and other construction businesses.
Already has
- Experienced teams
- Supplier relationships
- Equipment
- Project capability
- Industry knowledge
- Operational infrastructure
Possible new channel: A consumer-facing proposition around suitable residential services. It does not currently sell systematically to homeowners.
This could involve
- Separate consumer positioning
- Brand architecture
- Dedicated website and customer journey
- Lead generation
- Quotation process
- CRM and sales process
- Customer communications
- Local search and content architecture
- Reporting
After: The B2B business remains. The company now has a separate route to residential customers.
Illustrative example — not an Evans case study
Manufacturer → consumer brand
Before: A manufacturer supplies products through trade customers, distributors, retailers and commercial buyers.
Possible new channel: Selected products suitable for direct consumer sale.
Evans evaluates
- Consumer demand
- Pricing
- Channel conflict
- Brand strategy
- Fulfilment
- Returns
- Customer service
- Digital infrastructure
- Acquisition economics
- Commercial viability
After: If viable, Evans helps create the D2C proposition. Distributor and channel conflict is considered deliberately, never casually ignored.
Illustrative example — not an Evans case study
Trade product → online consumer sales
Before: A specialist product is sold almost entirely through trade relationships, in trade pack sizes, with technical literature written for professionals.
Possible new channel: The product repackaged and presented so a consumer can understand, choose and buy it online.
Areas to design
- Consumer proposition
- Pricing and pack sizes
- Buying journey
- Payments
- Delivery
- Support
- Content
- Customer acquisition
After: Trade customers continue to buy as before; consumers have a route designed for them.
Feasibility first
Should you actually go D2C?
A new channel is not automatically a good channel. Evans tests these questions before significant build work — and will recommend: do not build it, where the economics or evidence are poor.
- 01Is there consumer demand?
- 02Can consumers sensibly buy the product or service?
- 03What problem does the consumer proposition solve?
- 04What do consumers currently buy instead?
- 05Can the business compete with established consumer brands?
- 06What will customer acquisition cost?
- 07Can gross margin support that acquisition cost?
- 08Can operations support consumer volume?
- 09What happens with fulfilment and returns?
- 10What customer support is required?
- 11Will existing distributors or customers see the channel as competitive?
- 12Existing brand or separate consumer brand?
- 13Does the company have the capacity?
- 14What investment is required?
- 15How quickly could commercial evidence be obtained?
- 16Could the idea be tested before a full rollout?
Brand architecture
Existing brand or a new consumer brand?
A separate brand is not automatically required. The decision follows the evidence.
Existing recognition
A trade brand consumers already know can shorten the trust gap. One they have never heard of carries little advantage.
Customer expectations
Trade customers may expect different pricing, service and language from consumers.
Channel conflict
A separate brand can reduce friction with distributors; it does not remove it if the products are the same.
Positioning and pricing
Consumer pricing visible under the trade brand can unsettle existing trade price structures.
Audience
Consumers respond to different messages, imagery and reassurance than professional buyers.
Future strategic value
A distinct consumer brand can become a separate asset — but costs more to build.
What Evans can create
B2B → D2C Channel Creation Programme
From £1,995 + VAT
per month · 6 months · from £11,970 + VAT at the starting price
More complex projects are scoped and priced individually. There are no fixed higher tiers and no website-only package.
Depending on scope, may include
- Commercial validation
- Consumer research
- Competitor research
- Proposition
- Pricing
- Brand architecture
- Customer journey
- Website / ecommerce infrastructure
- Payments
- CRM and forms
- Sales workflows
- Customer communications
- Automation
- Content structure
- SEO / AEO foundations
- Analytics
- Launch plan
- Customer acquisition infrastructure
- Reporting
- Handover
Not every engagement includes every item.
Optional ongoing support
Managed Channel Growth
For businesses that want Evans to stay involved in operating and growing the consumer channel. No revenue is guaranteed.
From £1,995 + VAT
per month · ongoing, subject to agreed terms
Potential managed activity
- Commercial management
- Digital and customer acquisition coordination
- Channel optimisation
- Content coordination
- Sales activity where appropriate
- Reporting
- Conversion improvement
- Proposition refinement
- Automation optimisation
Part of Channel Creation
B2B → D2C is one form of Channel Creation.
Channel Creation
B2B → D2C is one of eight routes Evans builds — alongside B2B → D2C, D2C → B2B, product to service, productised services, recurring revenue, distributor or partner channels, new customer segments and spare capacity. Explore Channel Creation.
D2C → B2B
Looking at the opposite route — a consumer business selling to organisations? Explore D2C → B2B.
Opportunity Engine
If the business keeps a strong B2B core, Opportunity Engine continues to find new trade accounts while the consumer channel is built. Explore Opportunity Engine.
Customer Expansion Engine
A new proposition can also suit existing customers. Customer Expansion Engine analyses current accounts for suitable cross-sell opportunities. Explore Customer Expansion Engine.
Market Entry
Channel creation and geographic expansion are different decisions. A company could create D2C in its home market, then later take it into another country. Explore Market Entry.
Digital
This channel may need: consumer website, ecommerce, payments, customer journey, crm, automation. Where that is in the agreed Channel Creation scope, no separate Evans website package is needed. For additional or standalone work, see Digital Infrastructure.
AI & Automation
New channels can be designed efficiently from the start — lead qualification, sales workflows, customer communication, quote follow-up, reporting and order administration. Explore AI & Automation.
B2B → D2C guides
Read before you decide.
How a B2B Company Can Start Selling Direct to Consumers
Moving from B2B to D2C is not just about adding a 'Buy Now' button. it requires a fundamental shift in unit economics, logistics, and customer relationship management.
Should a B2B Business Sell Direct to Consumers?
The margin on consumer sales often looks better than wholesale. Whether it actually is a better route for a specific B2B business is a different, more specific question.
How Manufacturers Can Sell Direct-to-Consumer (D2C)
For manufacturers, selling direct is no longer just an option; it is a strategic requirement for capturing margin and owning customer data. But success requires more than just a website.
Should Manufacturers Sell Direct-to-Consumers?
The decision to go D2C is often framed as a simple quest for higher margin. In reality, it is a complex strategic choice that can redefine a manufacturer's market position — for better or worse.
Launching a D2C Brand from an Existing B2B Business
Launching a D2C brand from an existing business is a powerful way to unlock new revenue, but it requires a careful balance of shared resources and distinct identities.
How to Test D2C Demand Before Investing in the Channel
The most expensive way to find out if consumers want your product is to build a full D2C business. The smartest way is to test demand first with a fraction of the budget.
How to Avoid Channel Conflict When Launching D2C
The biggest fear for B2B manufacturers launching D2C is alienating the distributors who provide their core volume. Channel conflict is avoidable, but it requires more than just a pricing policy.
What Margins Are Needed for D2C?
A 30% gross margin might be healthy for a B2B wholesaler, but it is often a recipe for bankruptcy in D2C. Selling direct requires a much thicker cushion to absorb the costs of customer acquisition.
How a Commercial Contractor Can Start Selling to Homeowners
The skills a commercial contractor has built rarely need to change to serve homeowners. The sales process, pricing and marketing almost always do.
Common questions
In practice, yes. D2C (direct to consumer) and B2C (business to consumer) are both used to describe selling to individual consumers rather than organisations. Evans uses D2C where the business sells its own products or services directly.
No. Evans helps create a commercial channel: validation, proposition, pricing, economics, operations and customer journey. Website and ecommerce infrastructure may be part of the agreed scope, but they are not the product.
It can. Channel conflict is assessed deliberately — products, pricing, brand and communication are designed with existing partners in mind, and sometimes the right answer is not to sell direct.
The B2B → D2C Channel Creation Programme starts from £1,995 + VAT per month for six months — from £11,970 + VAT at the starting price. More complex projects are scoped individually. Managed Channel Growth starts from £1,995 + VAT per month.
Often, yes. Part of the first stage is working out how quickly and cheaply credible evidence of demand can be obtained before a full rollout.
No. They are hypothetical examples used to explain how the channel can work. They are not Evans case studies.
B2B → D2C
Could consumers buy from you directly?
Tell us about the business and the channel you are considering. You will get an honest view — including if the answer is not yet.
Rather talk it through first?
A new channel is not automatically a good channel.
Evans evaluates demand, economics, capacity and risk first — then builds it properly if it is worth building.
Prefer to speak directly?