DTC Playbook, the latest in AI & more

 In today’s newsletter 

• Master Your Financials with 3 Free Forecasting Templates—Designed for Omnichannel Growth  

• AI is Moving Fast—Here’s What You Need to Know

• Heartfelt Retention: Turning Shoppers into Lifelong Friends

• DTC Playbook: How Lovevery’s Cart Email Almost Nailed It

• Unlock New Growth on Amazon

• Latest News: How Real Customer Journeys and Marketing Attribution Take Shape & more…

Master Your Financials with 3 Free Forecasting Templates—Designed for Omnichannel Growth

Inconsistent forecasting and relying on gut feelings can hold your brand back from scaling effectively. Whether it’s optimizing ad spend, tracking revenue, or managing inventory, the lack of accurate data can lead to stockouts, overspending, or missed opportunities. That’s where Drivepoint comes in. The strategic finance platform behind brands like True Classic, Oats Overnight, Graza, and Salt & Stone is offering 3 FREE forecasting templates that give you the clarity and control you need to make smarter, data-driven decisions. 

What’s Inside: 

Template #1: Wholesale Sales, Trade, and Promo Lift

Say goodbye to guessing. Forecast sales growth and track promotional effectiveness with built-in formulas for ROI and trade spend impact.  

Template #2: eCommerce Ad Spend & Revenue

Stop overspending on ads. Track and optimize your ad performance across Meta, TikTok, and Google Ads, with a blended CAC for more accurate budgeting. 

 Template #3: COGS & Inventory Forecasting

Avoid stockouts and protect your margins. Use built-in tools for managing unit costs and setting reorder points to ensure smooth operations. These plug-and-play Excel templates are designed to help you start planning like a pro. When you’re ready for advanced forecasting, Drivepoint’s platform offers automated data syncing, real-time modeling, and hyper-accurate insights to help you scale faster.

AI is Moving Fast—Here’s What You Need to Know

Big names like OpenAI, Hugging Face, Anthropic, Google, Meta, and more are shaking things up with announcements that could redefine how we work, create, and innovate.

Check out this thread to catch up on the latest developments:

One of our personal favorites? Number 6—Hugging Face launching the biggest AI app store with over 400,000 apps 🤯 Just imagine typing what you need and having the perfect tool recommended for you. If it turns out to be as good as it sounds, game changer!

2025 is the year we believe AI goes mainstream, and we’re here for it..

Building retention for me is creating a genuine bond with the customers. I believe every touchpoint is a chance to share a bit of your brand’s personality and invite your shoppers into your world. When I craft an email, I think of it as a warm update—an opportunity to share useful tips, behind the scenes stories, or a thoughtful recommendation that feels like it’s coming from a friend.

With SMS, I like to send messages that offer timely reminders or exclusive offers without feeling pushy. A quick text can brighten someone’s day or alert them when something special is happening. I recommend using SMS when you need to convey something important, or urgent, or special. PLEASE do not send SMS’es during QUITE hours (sleeping hours) - that SMS will most likely get blocked/flagged.

On your website, a pop‑up can gently prompt visitors to explore a new collection or take advantage of a limited time perk. It should feel like a friendly invitation rather than an interruption. I hate it when I visit websites and I’m hit with a pop-up right away on my face, and if I’m unable to close that pop-up because there’s no clear way to exit from the pop-up, that boils my blood. Give people some time to breathe. And make it EASY to exit the pop-up.

Hook

"Did you forget something?" It’s a solid opener—friendly, non-judgy, and straight to the point. But they missed a trick here: no first name. A simple “Hey [First Name],” would’ve instantly made this feel more personal. When you’re already sending someone an email, you might as well use their name, right?

Push

That testimonial? Gold. Nothing builds trust like a parent from Minnesota who’s this hyped. It’s relatable and screams, “You’re going to regret not buying this.” The product image + “Check Out Now” combo does its job—simple and frictionless. No guessing what to do next, which is good!

Close

This is where it slips. There’s zero urgency. No “Your cart is reserved for 24 hours” or “Limited stock”—just vibes. They could’ve also leaned into personalization by mentioning my kid’s age or stage of development because they already collect this data on the website, which I had shared. Those small details would’ve been great for the final push to make me click.

Alright folks, that’s it for today. Have a great weekend ahead!

Unlock New Growth on Amazon

Growing on Amazon takes more than great products—it’s about getting in front of the right shoppers. With affiliate marketing, you can:

✅ Drive high-quality traffic – Reach shoppers off Amazon by partnering with 8K+ vetted publishers, affiliates, and influencers.
✅ Control your commissions – Set CPA or CPC by product or creator to maximize ROI.
✅ Boost organic rankings – Amazon rewards external traffic with better search visibility and a 10% kickback.

Download the Guide

📰IN THE NEWS

👉How Real Customer Journeys and Marketing Attribution Take Shape

Marketing attribution is essential for tracking the customer journey and understanding which touchpoints drive conversions. The article highlights different attribution models, such as first-touch, last-touch, and multi-touch, and emphasizes the importance of using data-driven insights to optimize marketing spend.

👉63% of Websites Receive AI Traffic (New Study of 3,000 Sites)

Ahrefs' study reveals that AI-powered search experiences, like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Overviews, are reshaping web traffic patterns. Many AI tools provide direct answers, reducing the need for users to click on traditional search results, which impacts website traffic. 

👉Amazon’s Ad Revenue Was $56 Billion Last Year

Amazon's ad revenue hit $56 billion in 2024, growing by 24% year-over-year, making it a dominant force in digital advertising. The company's ad business is now bigger than YouTube’s and continues to thrive as brands invest heavily in Amazon’s retail media network.

Have any questions that you need help with?

Ask here - look out for Friday’s issue where Ibrahim will answer them.