Monday, February 5

The 5 things in DTC you need to know today

February 05, 2024

🗣 Want to Reach an Audience of 18,500 DTC Brands? Start Here…

🚨 In today’s newsletter 🚨

  • Shopify Unleashes New AI Tools for Retail

  • Building a Dropshipping Business for the Long Haul

  • Balancing DTC and Wholesale Customers on Your Site

Let’s get into it👇

SHOPIFY
#1 - Shopify Unleashes New AI Tools for Retail

The Rundown: Shopify announced the upcoming launch of two new AI-powered tools - Media Editor for automated image creation and editing, and Sidekick to optimize operations.

The details:

  • Media Editor lets sellers generate and edit product images instantly using AI, instead of hiring designers or struggling with software.

  • Sidekick aims to help with workflows, decisions, and other operational tasks by providing an intelligent assistant.

  • The tools signify Shopify's push to bring leading-edge AI capabilities to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

  • They have potential to eliminate many tedious tasks that distract from higher-value work.

  • The launches build on other platforms like Amazon and Meta also providing AI-powered functionality lately.

Why it matters: This signals the next wave of transformation for retail as AI automates repetitive jobs and shifts roles to be more collaborative between humans and machines.

PORTLESS
#2 - Say Goodbye to Inventory Delays and Cash Flow Issues With Portless

Struggling with inventory delays and cash flow issues? Tired of waiting 45-60 days for your products to arrive from China?

Meet Portless – the ultimate game-changer for DTC and e-commerce brands.

Why Portless?

✅ Direct Shipping: Ship directly from China to customers in just 6 days, covering 55+ countries.

✅ Local Touch: Custom packaging, local tracking through carriers like USPS and Canada Post.

✅ Cost-Effective: Slash cargo shipping fees and boost gross margins by up to 40% (thanks to Section 321)!

✅ Cash Flow Boost: Say goodbye to tied-up cash flow in inventory. Unleash frozen funds within days.

Stop juggling overstocks and stockouts, and safeguard your cash flow. With Portless, enjoy fast 3-5 day replenishments on your best-selling items. Skip the ship and go Portless today: https://bit.ly/42g8Mih

DROPSHIPPING
#3 - Building a Dropshipping Business for the Long Haul

The Rundown: Dropshipping allows you to sell products online without holding any inventory, but creating a sustainable business requires strategic thinking beyond the initial setup.

Step-by-step:

  1. Identify a focused product niche and specialize in really understanding your target customers.

  2. Thoroughly vet suppliers on multiple criteria to find reliable long-term partners.

  3. Continuously refine branding and marketing based on customer data and feedback.

  4. Automate and streamline order, fulfillment and customer service processes wherever possible.

  5. Control costs vigilantly and plow back profits to fuel steady, self-funding growth.

  6. Stay on top of industry best practices as they evolve; commit to ongoing education.

Actionable Takeaway: Tune out overnight success stories. Take the long view, play the long game. Compounding small wins through grit pays off over time in dropshipping.

RESOURCES
#4 - Things Worth Checking Out

 AI - Shopify’s AI photo editing tool will help sellers create ‘professional’ images

 SOCIAL - TikTok trials feature to make all video posts shoppable

 TRENDS - Amazon best sellers and trending products in February 2024

STATISTICS - eCommerce packaging market to triple in size by 2034

REPORT - OneRail survey reveals what retailers consider critical to eCommerce growth

DTC
#5 - Balancing DTC and Wholesale Customers on Your Site

The Rundown: As a DTC brand looking to expand into wholesale, optimizing your site for both audiences is vital but tricky. The key is understanding and mapping their different needs.

The details:

  • Analyzing your analytics reveals where B2B and DTC visitors engage now. This shows areas to better tailor experiences.

  • Map out their different goals and behaviors through the customer journey to see where unified messaging is essential vs. where you can prioritize DTC.

  • Use your homepage, menus, and targeted landing pages to highlight content and offers for wholesale vs. shoppers.

Why it matters: Serving both audiences' needs, while strategically aligning experiences when appropriate, allows DTC brands to successfully embrace wholesale for added revenue without hindering core ecommerce sales.

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