Friday, September 15

#1 - 📧 Your emails need some persuasion

📰 TL;DR - Email marketing is a key component of running an e-commerce business, but are yours up to snuff? This piece gets into why persuasion is a critical thing to think about. First, this points out that simply being skimmable isn’t enough anymore. Most emails are read on a mobile device and few people have the patience to read the full thing — in fact, read times are falling. That means you have to be even craftier in your email creation. This goes over four persuasion techniques to improve your emails, with examples.

💡 Insight - I think the first principle here is the most important — the principle of least effort. Scanning your email should be easy. A recipient should understand what your CTA is in just a few seconds, whether that’s a new product, a discount, or some educational content. This can be done with clever design. Overall, I like that this focuses so much on the visual impact of your emails, which I think can be more important than the copy itself and can also be hard to get right. I would suggest making a series of templates in your branding style and testing them. It may even be worth getting an expert to make those templates if email isn’t your forté.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#2 - 😎 Shopify gave Amazon a huge opportunity

📰 TL;DR - When Shopify sold off its logistics arm and retreated from that realm, it left a void that Amazon now seems more than happy to fill. That’s why we saw yesterday’s announcement that Amazon is now offering fulfillment services to brands that don’t even sell on Amazon. Add to that, Amazon’s shiny new Buy with Prime offering for Shopify merchants. It seems that Shopify’s change in tactics is really what’s spurred on what appears to be a bit of a truce. Dive into this piece if you’re an e-comm industry tea addict.

💡 Insight - All this begs the question of what is going on at Shopify. If not fulfillment, what do they see as their strength? Based on recent changes to Shopify Plus, including the scaling back of some perks for lower-end Plus merchants, the solid guess is that Shopify wants to be the premier e-commerce platform for big brands. Like, many millions of dollars per year brands. The ones that don’t look at marketplaces like Amazon as part of their strategy. There seems to be a push to focus on the biggest players rather than the thousands of little guys who use Shopify.

➡️ You can read the article here...

📣 If you want to reach our audience of 10,000+ DTC store owners, tap here 

#3 - 🤖 How to use AI for everything

📰 TL;DR - This is a pretty thorough guide to how to use AI for your business. It comes from Jungle Scout, which works with Amazon sellers. It also mainly focuses on generative AI with a ton of ChatGPT examples. It includes everything from generating product listings, to branding efforts, to communicating with suppliers, to developing product ideas. I appreciate that it includes screenshots and examples, although it’s also a plug for Jungle Scout’s new AI assistant, which you might actually find useful if you’re on Amazon.

💡 Insight - Theoretically you could build an entire e-commerce business based purely on ChatGPT answers. The only issue is that it wouldn't be a particularly original brand. I am all for using AI to make running an e-commerce business easier, I just also think it’s wise to consider that a truly successful brand offers something that stands out, and AI isn’t really designed to make things that are novel.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#4 - 🛠️ Things worth checking out

💃🏽 TIKTOK - Here are some tips for how to get more views on TikTok.

🤔 TIKTOK SHOP - Looks like TikTok Shop has some kinks to work out when it comes to user experience. Read here.

💜 WOO - If you use WooCommerce, here’s what’s new with the platform.

🎄 HOLIDAY SALES - Holiday sales are expected to grow this year, according to this report from Deloitte.

📦 CONVERSIONS - Here are four data-backed tips to improve conversion rates.

#5 - 💍 Mejuri launches new app, loyalty program

📰 TL;DR - Canadian jewelry DTC darling Mejuri is pushing into a new era by launching a new mobile app, a new loyalty program, as well as new retail locations. Mejuri has been very much a success story, cultivating a cult following as well as more than $100 million in funding to date. The new app introduces personalized shopping, with recommended products based on past purchases. It’s also meant to target those already loyal to the brand — in fact, 50% of their revenue comes from repeat buyers. All that said, they’re not actually profitable yet, but I can only assume these moves are meant to help get them there. Note: try an incognito tab if you see a paywall.

💡 Insight - This is actually a pretty great case study of when to know it’s the right time to launch a standalone mobile shopping app. An app isn’t going to do much to attract new customers, but it’s definitely of interest to loyal customers, and Mejuri knows that’s where a lot of their revenue comes from. Apps also offer opportunities for a better loyalty program experience and I love that they’re incorporating personalized recommendations. They’re also going to be offering exclusive products to members, which is a great incentive to join the new program. Smart moves all around.

➡️ You can read the article here...