What is a DNVB?

DNV-what?

Tediber, Le Slip Français, Respire – ring a bell? Well, they are all DNVBs (short for Digital Native Vertical Brand).

As their name suggests, DNVBs are 100% digital brands. They have no physical shop – at least not when they start out – because everything happens on an e-commerce website.

Characteristics of DNVBs

These digitally born brands are defined by characteristics that are often unique to them and that support their sustained growth:

• A fairer price, because there are fewer intermediaries to pay in the process from manufacturing to delivery
• A very strong identity and an often niche positioning that guarantees few competitors
• Carefully crafted branding and storytelling that make it easier to identify with the brand’s values
• Little stock, or even NO stock if products are made to order
• More efficient logistics, because they are simplified and supported by data
• A stronger community that acts as an ambassador for the brand
• Human, efficient customer service for a more pleasant experience
• A strong digital presence and strong communication on social media

Weaknesses of DNVBs

However, choosing the DNVB model comes with a few downsides. The fact that everything is 100% digital and online requires the support of very high-performing paid activity to make the e-commerce website visible and drive traffic to it.

Except that, very often, DNVB teams are very small and cannot cover the full range of paid activity made up of SEO, SEA and Social Ads.

For SEO, if the website is poorly built and organised, it will be invisible on search engines, which is a problem when you know that this is the gateway for a large share of new customers.

The same goes for SEA. If you type “mattress” into Google, you will inevitably come across a paid ad from Tediber. This paid acquisition is vital for DNVBs, because the experience of a good website offering a good product is a fundamental pillar. Except that if nobody lands on your e-commerce store, however beautiful it may be, you cannot convert thin air.

Once again, the same rule applies to Social Ads. A presence on social networks, content creation and the organic growth of a community are essential for any DNVB. But the bulk of conversions comes above all from social media advertising. Indeed, most social networks limit your page’s organic reach to push you to go through their advertising platform and so reach as many people as possible. Suffice it to say that without ads on Facebook, Insta, TikTok and co., your growth will naturally be held back.

Summary

So, if we had to sum all this up, we could say that DNVBs are defined by specific characteristics that give them many competitive advantages. Be careful, though, not to neglect the paid side (SEA & Social Ads), or the brand risks falling short of its full online growth potential: quite the irony for a DNVB!

Going further

Incidentally, if you are a DNVB and you want to work with a responsive, ROI-driven agency for everything paid, feel free to send us an email or book a free discovery call with one of our experts. We can discuss your project together and the different strategies available to boost your growth and increase your revenue.

See you very soon. 😉