🛍 DTC Daily - Thursday, Feb 16

💰 1 - TikTok has snuck in an in-app checkout pilot

📰 TL;DR - Apologies for the paywall, but this could be a game-changer. TikTok has reportedly rolled out a pilot program for in-app checkout in the US. That means viewers can see and purchase an item without having to tap out to another app. This appears to just be a soft launch with selected brands, including Pacsun and Revolve.

💡 Insight - We already know TikTok is huge for commerce. Just look at the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt trend or the numerous DTC brands that have found success by focusing on TikTok marketing. Social shopping can be hit and miss, but with Meta pulling back live shopping options, that leaves the door open for TikTok to establish itself as the social shopping app. Definitely keep an eye out for when this pilot rolls out to the rest of us.

➡️You can read the article here...

💥 2 - The dicey new era of DTC

📰 TL;DR - It's tough out there for a DTC brand. Even the biggest names in the game are facing layoffs, price increases, and funding issues. So how do you survive? This piece from Retail Dive looks into what it means to succeed as a DTC brand in this new era. Some of the trends we're seeing from successful brands include penning wholesale deals, exploring retail, and leaning into values.

💡 Insight - Call it DTC 3.0, or a new era, or the death of the old playbook, or whatever, it's simply a fact now that DTC ain't what it used to be. That should signal to you that copying the moves of DTC mainstays from five years ago isn't going to cut it. What made brands like Allbirds successful won't work in this new era. Instead, look at what these brands are doing now.

➡️You can read the article here...

👙 3 - How Monday Swimwear turned from a blog into a multimillion-dollar brand

📰 TL;DR - Glossy has a great podcast episode with Natasha Oakley, co-founder of Monday Swimwear. Natasha and her partner started with a blog back in 2012, and now they have a hugely successful swimwear line and Natasha is an investor in other brands. They've been completely DTC and have found great success with influencer marketing.

💡 Insight - The whole episode is great inspiration, but one thing I really liked is how Natasha talks about rebranding. She's been unafraid to refresh and reimagine her branding to keep it in line with how the company has grown. It's really easy to get precious about your branding and be scared of losing momentum with a change. But sometimes change is a very good thing.

➡️You can read the article here...

🥘 4 - Amazon launches Martha Stewart shop

📰 TL;DR - Amazon has launched a dedicated destination for Martha Stewart-branded products on the platform. The World of Martha includes livestream shopping, recipes, and collections curated by Martha herself. It's meant to be an immersive, digital storefront experience with a bright, clean look compared to the often cluttered-looking pages of Amazon proper.

💡 Insight - Amazon is trying to have the best of both worlds here. This site has DTC-like branding and revamped navigation that is more reminiscent of a standalone e-commerce store than the Amazon website. But, all that comes with Prime and the familiarity and trust of Amazon. It's a smart move and makes me wonder if Amazon will ever allow merchants who aren't Martha Stewart to create more curated shopping experiences.

➡️You can read the article here...

💌 5 - 20 brand newsletters you can learn from

📰 TL;DR - We'd like to think we know a thing or two about newsletters around here, but writing a newsletter as an e-comm brand is a whole other ballgame. The Oberlo blog has a round-up of great brand newsletters (many e-comm, though some not) with notes on what makes them good. You'll notice some trends like referral links, not pushing product too hard, and offering value beyond a simple sales proposition.

💡 Insight - Your customers' emails are some of the most precious resources you have. Email marketing is very effective when done well, but goes straight to the spam folder when it's not. You should absolutely not overlook regular emails to customers and these examples serve as fantastic inspiration.

➡️You can read the article here...

If you want to reach our audience, fill out this short partnerships form.