Monday, October 9

#1 - 📦 Return fees have gone mainstream

📰 TL;DR - Return fees have been a trend of late, so much so that this article declares they’ve gone mainstream. One expert here says around 40% of online retailers now charge some sort of return fee. That includes big names like H&M, Zara, and even Shein. Of course, this was normal practice for some categories like bulky furniture pieces, but clothing sellers especially are getting in on this right now. In 2022, about 17% of purchases made online were returned. That’s down from 21% in 2021, but still a significant percentage of sales.

💡 Insight - Given the expense and frequency of returns, I don’t blame and brand for charging a fee. And with it becoming so mainstream, customers are being forced to get on board. I have seen some interesting approaches though, such as Shein allowing free returns for your first purchase or H&M allowing free returns if they join the loyalty program. So there are definitely ways to soften the blow. I’ll also add to never forget that preventing returns in the first place should be a primary goal. You can work towards that with things like checks and balances in your warehouse as well as accurate (or even AI!) sizing tools.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#2 - 🚀 How To Get AI-Generated Creatives That Actually Converts?!

As creative boundaries expand, AI-generated content is stealing the spotlight. GenAI tools, like the marvelous Treat AI, are turbocharging brand creativity. They dig deep to unearth designs that tickle your best customers' fancy.

But here's the real magic: Treat AI whips up on-brand, conversion-friendly ad creatives and lifestyle photography in a breeze. Say goodbye to the agony of creative costs and endless meetings. With Treat AI, you'll create and test ad content faster than you can say 'artificial intelligence.'

Join the creative revolution! Get AI ad creative that truly converts with Treats AI. 🎨🤖

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#3 - 🔥 Marketing tips from “The DTC Guy”

📰 TL;DR - If you’ve spent any time on DTC Twitter, you’re probably familiar with Nik Sharma, also known as The DTC Guy. Nik spoke with Shopify for their podcast and also this article looking at his marketing playbook. His first tip is to start building social proof before you even get into the marketing bit. As he says, you need to demonstrate that you’re a real brand with a real product before someone is going to trust you. Next, you need to define a target audience — trying to sell to everyone all at once is not a winning strategy. These tips and more in the article.

💡 Insight - One tip here I love is what Nik calls the “grandma test.” When building a landing page, or ad, or email, or whatever, is it simple enough that your own grandma would get it? I use this advice in my writing all the time. And yes, you can absolutely pass the grandma test while still creating something compelling and even edgy. People just want to understand how a product will benefit them, don’t overcomplicate things.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#4 - 🛠️ Things worth checking out

🚀 SPECIAL OFFER - Blast Off Your Store with Print-on-Demand! Get 50% Off Your First Order.

🎥 LIVE SHOPPING - While some other e-commerce is slipping, shopping livestreams remain booming in Asia. Read here.

💸 PAYPAL - PayPal has been hit with an antitrust lawsuit saying it unfairly stifles competition with other common e-comm payment providers. Read here.

🎄 HOLIDAYS - Adobe’s prediction for online shopping spending is here, and it looks promising. Read here.

😎 UGC - Here’s a Twitter thread with some UGC creative ideas that are reportedly popping off right now.

#5 - 📚 TikTok Shop 101

📰 TL;DR - If you have a spare hour, I really recommend this webinar on how to use TikTok Shop. It comes from ChannelX and features two folks from Pretty Perfect Products, which sells on TikTok. The word here I want to highlight is “shoppertainment” — you’re not just pushing products on TikTok, you’re providing some entertainment. This walks you through how to get set up and some best practices.

💡 Insight - There’s a surprising lack of information like this out there considering how hot TikTok Shop is right now. You may have seen some tweets proclaiming that TikTok is currently subsidizing major deals. And that’s true! But that won’t last forever. To succeed on TikTok Shop in the long term you need an actual strategy and an understanding of TikTok culture. This is a decent place to start.

➡️ You can watch the webinar here...