Dive Brief:
- Brother announced a new smart service for its customers Thursday that triggers immediate deliveries of fresh Brother ink to doorsteps when the printer is running low. The service itself is free, although customers must still pay for the ink and shipping.
- Brother's announcement aligns with a growing trend among manufacturers to ship products directly to consumers instead of through a retailer, according to a new survey from LCP Consulting and the Center for Supply Chain Management at Cranfield University in the UK.
- The survey concluded that as many as 87% of manufacturers believe a direct-to-consumer delivery model is "relevant to their products and consumers."
Dive Insight:
Brother is just the next manufacturer to start shifting its delivery model to a direct-to-consumer model, cutting out the retailer middleman to cut costs, better control inventory levels, and enhance customer service.
According to the LCP study, manufacturers across the board are switching delivery models for a variety of reasons, including the aforementioned ones but also to "control and clarify brand," "speed to market," and provide consumers with "assorted access" to all products available from the manufacturer.
As stated in Brother's press release provided to Supply Chain Dive, regarding the new Refresh service, "not all inks and toners are created equal," which suggests that Brother wants to push its brand by delivering products directly to consumers instead of relying on retailers. Brother also expresses an eagerness to better serve the consumer, indicated by its opening statement: "Nothing is more frustrating than running out of ink or toner when you need to print an important document. Brother understands this frustration."
Recently, Kellogg also switched delivery models, citing cost effectiveness and increasing its bottom line as the primary reasons for doing so. As consumers push for high-quality products and quick fulfillment — a result of the e-commerce effect — manufacturers will likely continue to target consumers by offering direct delivery services like Brother.