1. Hatch

Canadian coffee roaster Hatch focuses on cold brew but also creates roasts for hot drinks.

Its D2C website provides coffee lovers with various options for managing their subscriptions.

Those simply looking to keep a regular supply of their favorite roast can build their subscription, choosing which coffees they want and when they will receive them.

Customers seeking more of an experience can choose Hatch’s curated Roastery Select program. They’ll be sent interesting origins, flavor profiles, and blends, as well as a series of mineral blends designed to optimize water for coffee making.

Hatch also offers a subscription service for its unique cold brew concentrate product, giving customers a regular supply of its convenient and refreshing iced coffees.

Finally, for its most loyal customers, Hatch offers an annual membership giving customers regular deliveries, as well as member-exclusive products and discounts.

Another reason we love the Hatch website is that it is customer-centric. For example, if users find their favorite blend is out of stock, they can ask to be alerted when it becomes available again.

This benefits Hatch too, as it avoids losing customers to competitors.

🔍 Hatch was built using Subbly’s website templates!

3. Earth and Wheat

Earth and Wheat provides grocery box subscriptions with a twist. The business sources produce that factories would otherwise throw away because it does not meet their strict appearance standards.

This could be because it’s:

• The wrong size, color or shape
• Broken, wonky or blemished

But it’s all still great to eat!

Earth and Wheat’s mission is to help customers reduce food waste by giving them access to this unwanted food.

Its current range consists of two bread boxes: a vegan-friendly “Essentials” box or a “Variety” box.

Subscribers are given a good range of options for how often they want to receive their box: weekly, fortnightly, every three weeks, or monthly.

This is a great example of a simple, easy-to-use website that delivers essential consumables and helps customers contribute to a better world.

🔍 Earth and Wheat is a Subbly user, check out our case study!

5. Dollar Shave Club

Beards might be in fashion, but those who like to shave still have to buy razors regularly.

Dollar Shave Club jumped on this opportunity, conveniently delivering high-quality razors directly to customers and putting traditional competitors like Gillette on the back foot.

They also sell other male grooming products like beard oil, face wash and moisturizer, and one-time purchase items like razor handles, covers and stands.

The company has become well-known for its tongue-in-cheek advertising campaigns and partnerships with influencers.

But the website itself is an exercise in simplicity. The range of products is limited, and customers can choose a one-time purchase or a one, two, or three-month subscription.

The ability to adjust, pause, or cancel subscriptions makes it low-risk for users and also prevents Dollar Shave Club from completely losing customers who might be experiencing doubts.

What Makes a Great D2C Website?

You’ve seen some great examples of direct-to-consumer websites. But what features do these websites have that enable them to provide such a great customer experience?

Here are the most important:

Subscription capabilities

A good D2C subscription website should offer more than just a “subscribe” button. Look for features that give customers control and reduce friction. These include:

• Multiple billing and delivery frequency options
• The ability to skip, pause, or cancel anytime
• Easy product swaps and bundling tools
• Prorated charges when customers make changes mid-cycle
• Self-service account management
• Automated notifications for renewals and upcoming charges
• Support for prepaid plans, free trials, or minimum commitment periods

These features make your subscription feel flexible and customer-friendly, two things that help improve retention.

A good example is Subbly customer Finders Keepers. The website provides a range of pre-pay subscriptions to loyal customers seeking value for money or a pay monthly option for those who aren’t ready to commit.

This enables it to offer competitive pricing to all customers.

Loyalty programs are another effective way to keep customers engaged and coming back. Whether it’s points-based rewards, exclusive perks, or early access to new products, a well-designed loyalty program can improve retention and boost customer lifetime value.

Excellent user experience

A great D2C website should feel effortless to use. Here are some pointers to help you achieve this:

• Aim for a simple site structure that enables easy navigation. Ensure that all product pages are just a click or two away.
• Ensure your site works seamlessly across all screen sizes, with responsive layouts and touch-friendly buttons.
• Ensure your website doesn’t take too long to load, as this increases bounce rates, especially on mobile. Test your website’s speed and get improvement advice using Google PageSpeed Insights.
• Product photography and video should be high quality, so customers clearly understand what they’re buying.
• Every page should have a clear call to action, whether it’s “subscribe,” “buy now,” or “learn more.”
• Your checkout process should be fast, simple, and secure. There should be no unnecessary steps or surprise costs.

Subbly customer Help With Handwriting offers a great user experience. The company provides personalized subscription boxes of fun activities to help teenagers improve their handwriting.

The signup process enables users to personalize their subscription. First, customers tell Help With Handwriting whether they are a school, a friend, or a family member.

They are then asked why they are buying the subscription and how often they’d like to pay for a package.

Users are then sent to a questionnaire and asked questions to personalize their package.

Finally, they are sent to a payment screen. Here, they see a breakdown of what they have ordered, when they can expect to receive it, and how much they will pay. They also get options related to payments and shipping.

The process manages to serve a diverse range of customer needs while also being fast and intuitive from a user perspective.

Brand story and identity

A strong D2C website communicates your mission, values, and what sets you apart. One of the best ways to do this is via an “About Us” page. This ensures your target audience buys your brand, not just your products.

Visual elements can also help here. By using the right colors, you can emphasize your brand’s personality.

For example, colors like coral, aqua, and sunny yellow might be playful and fun, while earth tones like olive green, soft browns, beige, and muted blues can feel calm and natural.

Earth and Wheat (whom we mentioned earlier) are a good example of this. Their color palette mainly consists of neutral natural tones to reflect their focus on fresh food, while the orange highlights reflect the company’s passion for reducing food waste.

The company has a branded video on its homepage that does a great job of telling its story.

Product presentation

As mentioned earlier, good product images help customers feel confident in buying. Prioritize benefit-driven descriptions that explain how the product helps, not just what it is.

Use multiple images, zoom functionality, and videos where possible. Show the product in use.

Also, make sure users can easily select product options like size, color, or flavor without hassle. A good approach is to tell customers exactly what they will get in their first subscription box.

This is what Subbly customer Think Outside Boxes does. The company offers outdoor exploration kits for kids, so they provide a list and a clear color photo that shows what to expect.

Customer engagement and support

Customers will have questions, so make it easy for them to get answers by including a live chat, an FAQ, and contact forms.

Ensure you are able to respond quickly and provide helpful responses. This will improve trust and boost conversions. In fact, according to research from Oberlo, 70% of consumers have made purchases based on good customer service experiences.

Add integrations for social media platforms or even forums to encourage customer interactions, increase brand recognition and improve customer loyalty.

You should also encourage customer reviews and ratings and display them on your site to add credibility. Customer feedback is also a valuable source of insight to help improve future boxes and product decisions.

A good example of excellent customer support on a subscription website is the pet supplies brand, Chewy. It offers 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone and email. The company is regularly voted the best online retailer for customer satisfaction.

Search engine optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) helps your pages rank on Google and brings in organic traffic.

SEO can be quite complicated and it’s often a good idea to hire an expert or specialist agency to help you.

However, if you want to do it yourself, a good place to start is by adding relevant keywords to your website. These are the terms that people type into search engines.

By naturally weaving them into product descriptions, blog content, and headings, you help Google understand what your content is about and it’s more likely to rank it higher in search results.

There’s a ton of tools available to help you find keywords and many of them have free versions. Examples include:

• Google Trends: Great for understanding keyword seasonality and popularity over time
• Answer the public: Perfect for question-based or longer keywords.
• Ubersuggest: Gives you information on how many searches a keyword gets and how difficult it is to rank for.

Other SEO techniques worth investigating include:

• Adding optimized meta titles and descriptions
• Optimizing image sizes and metadata
• Adding alt text to images
• Building backlinks to your content

Site speed and mobile-friendliness, as mentioned above, also improve SEO performance, as Google wants to show users sites that offer a good experience on a variety of devices.

Ready to Build Your D2C Website?

Your website isn’t just where new customers buy; it’s where they connect with your brand. It shapes their first impression, drives subscriptions, and builds long-term loyalty.

The best D2C websites:

• Make subscriptions simple: Flexible plans, easy management and clear value
• Show who you are: A brand story that feels personal, not generic
• Deliver a smooth experience: Fast, mobile-friendly and easy to navigate
• Build trust: Clear product details, strong visuals and real reviews
• Support the customer: Live chat, helpful content and a sense of community

Start with the right tools, focus on what your end customers need, and build something worth coming back to. This will grow your sales and increase customer lifetime value.

Sign up for a free trial of Subbly to find out how we can help you do this.