The Versatility of Direct Checkout Links
Not long ago, we released the newest addition to the Lulu Direct product line: the Direct Buy Button.
It’s a pretty simple tool. You connect to a secure Stripe account through your Lulu Direct dashboard, then connect a Lulu project (print book or calendar, no ebooks at the moment), and we generate a bit of code you can add to your site. The result is a product listing, including a thumbnail, title, description, and a button to add the book to a cart.
Quite literally, it has never been easier to start selling your Lulu books from your own site.
But the Buy Button includes one additional feature that has proven surprisingly popular and versatile: a Direct Checkout Link.
What is that? Let me tell you all about it.
Spoiler: You won't need a website for this.
What is a Direct Checkout Link?
It’s a link that, when clicked, puts a copy of the connected book into a cart. The buyer can then add more copies if they want, and check out. It’s very much that simple.
If you’re not familiar with our new direct sales options, I recommend taking a few minutes to watch this tutorial. It will show you how fast and easy it is to set up.
Watch: Setting Up a Sales Channel
See, super easy.
Now, once you’ve got the sales channel set up and linked a published, printable project from your Lulu account, you’ll have a few options. The button comes in three flavors:
- Product Showcase - A full product description with a thumbnail, title, description, and button to add to cart.
- Product Preview - A stripped-down version of the Showcase for a more compact shopping experience.
- Button Only - Just the button to add to cart and nothing else.
Each of the button options is customizable.
But right above those options, you’ll see this:
This is your Direct Checkout Link. It is a link that just adds a copy of the connected book to a dedicated cart. From there, the buyer can add more copies and check out. That’s all it does, but it’s powerful.
Benefits of Direct Checkout Links
Beyond the simplicity of it, a Direct Checkout Link has a ton of benefits. Most importantly, it’s versatile. It’s a simple link that can be copied and pasted anywhere on the internet. That includes images, text, or a QR code. There’s nothing to install, integrate, embed, or build. It’s just a link.
Simplified Selling
The biggest benefit of the Direct Checkout Link is that you can sell from anywhere.
For example, here is the link I created for the example above:
https://svc.lulu.com/?items=25cbd974-5a22-4f29-b08d-5e9f60ffd393
If you click it, a cart will open, and you can buy this book! Please don’t buy it; the book is literally just 100 blank pages.
But the point is that it’s really that simple. Add the link in an email, on your social media profile, or in the bio on your blog.
No Logistics
By that I mean you won’t need to worry about:
- Shipping - Lulu handles that with our available shipping options based on your buyer’s address.
- Taxes - Lulu applies them, again based on the region and applicable tax requirements.
- Inventory - As always, your book is printed on demand and shipped directly to your reader.
- Payments - Your buyer pays Lulu directly for printing and shipping, then we pay you the revenue you earned.
All you need to do is set up the link with a print project from your Lulu account, and you’re ready to sell.
That Sweet Customer Data
Here is the checkout experience. As you can see, there is an option to opt into updates. Innocuous, and I’m sure you’ve seen these in nearly every checkout experience you use online.
This single line is one of the most important parts of your broader marketing strategy.
When your buyer checks this box, you’ll be able to grab their email address from your Lulu Direct dashboard and add it to your email list. Email remains one of the best ways to engage your dedicated fans and encourage them to buy more from you.
These are people who have actively said, ‘yes, I want to hear from you again’ by checking that box. I cannot overstate how valuable that is.
Building Simple Revenue Flows
That H2 is a little bit on the marketing-lingo side, but it’s true. For most creators, the hardest part of building a business (after the distinct challenge of marketing) is making it easy for your customers to buy from you. Lulu’s Direct Buy Button and Direct Checkout Link are the absolute easiest way to make your book available for sale at the maximum profit for you.
If you have any kind of direct connection with your audience—be it an email list, website with some traffic, a blog, or social media presence—these direct sales tools are what you need to ensure you earn the most, can collect user data, and continue to build your creator business.
