Amazon DTC: How to own the customer experience

In the past, being successful on Amazon often meant playing by the rules, optimizing your listings, and figuring out how to beat the competition. Competition gets harder each day, so these steps are also getting harder to achieve.

But in 2025, the most successful sellers are doing something more ambitious: they’re going direct-to-consumer (DTC). In other words, they’re building their own shops. They’re not abandoning Amazon, but they’re no longer letting it own the entire customer relationship either.

This shift is called Amazon DTC. It’s like a hybrid strategy where sellers use the maximum power of Amazon while also building a brand they fully control. This sounds like a completely logical step, right?

So, what does going Amazon DTC actually look like? How do you do it without losing the momentum you’ve built on Amazon?

Why Going DTC is a good idea

There’s no doubt: Amazon is still one of the best platforms for reach, discovery, and logistics. It’s where millions of shoppers begin their product search. And it’s not going anywhere!

But also, staying present only on one channel means you miss a lot of things. So here’s what you actually don’t get: data, relationships, or brand control. All of those are a big deal for ecommerce brands. When a customer buys from you on Amazon, you don’t get their email, which means you can’t retarget them easily, and you can’t send them a loyalty offer or learn why they didn’t come back.

This lack of ownership is exactly what’s pushing smart sellers to add another channel as a selling opportunity. You get a branded experience, a place where you can test, talk to customers directly, and build long-term value beyond the transaction. It’s worth a lot, especially if you want your brand to really grow and be even more successful.

Should you do DTC only or?

Choosing Amazon DTC doesn’t mean you stop selling on Amazon. It means you stop relying on it as your only sales channel. Sticking to one channel is very risky today, so instead, you continue to use Amazon for what it does best, while building a separate DTC channel that works for long-term loyalty. Here’s what means to actually own the experience.

The benefits of really owning the experience

When you own the customer journey and know how it really looks like from a customer’s perspective, everything changes. You decide how the product is presented, how your emails sound, how your offers are delivered, and what your support experience feels like. That’s the level of control you don’t have on Amazon.

You can tell your story, you can explain your mission, you can test bundles, run campaigns, launch loyalty programs, or partner with influencers on your own terms. Wow, so many opportunities! More importantly, you can increase lifetime value by re-engaging customers through channels you control.

Customers who buy directly from brands are more loyal, less price-sensitive, and more likely to refer others. That’s a retention strategy that really works and brings a lot to your business.

How to start your Amazon DTC journey

If you’re already selling on Amazon, you’re halfway there. The next step is building your own branded store. Most sellers choose Shopify and that’s no coincidence. Since it integrates really good with Amazon, plays well with FBA and gives you endless room to grow. Shopify and Amazon increase the chances of success.

You need to build a clean, conversion-friendly storefront. Then connect it with Amazon’s Multi-Channel Fulfillment so you don’t have to manage two inventories. We explained the whole process of going DTC in this FREE course. In this free course, we also explained how to bring traffic to your own store. The goal is to make a really strong marketing strategy and stick to what’s working.

That usually means to invest a bit of resources in SEO, ads, and set up email marketing to follow up with customers post-purchase. Our process of building Shopify stores for Amazon sellers includes being there completely and making sure results are there.

What successful Amazon DTC brands do differently

The one thing you need to understand is that you don’t treat Amazon and Shopify as rivals. Sellers treat them as part of the same system.

Yes, those are two different channels, but you can really make a difference by working on both. It doesn’t have to be double the work, although you need to bring traffic to your Shopify store. But because of the competition on Amazon, you need to use ads to bring people there, too?

Use Amazon for reach and access to millions of customers. When you choose to go DTC, you can use Shopify to run campaigns, collect feedback, and introduce higher-margin bundles. Build community and work on your networks through email and social, not just ads. And use both channels to reinforce each other, not replace one another.

Amazon is an amazing channel. But it’s not your business. If you want to build something lasting, something you can grow, sell, or expand, you need to go DTC. Not instead of Amazon, but alongside it. That’s the right Amazon DTC strategy. That’s how you own the customer experience!

And if you need help building your DTC store, integrating it with Amazon, and setting up a system that works long-term, we can help. Book a free call and let’s talk about how to build your brand while keeping your Amazon momentum.

👉 Watch a free course about this process here!