Tuesday, August 8

#1 - 🦉 Drake launches virtual store with Shopify

📰 TL;DR - Rapper Drake has made retail a part of his empire, with brands like OVO. Now, he’s launched a virtual, interactive store modeled after his Toronto mansion and filled with Shopify merchants. You can view the actual store here. Drake apparently handpicked Shopify merchants to work with and create custom items — must be nice! Some of the brands I spotted include Better World Fragrance House, Krink, and Funboy, and include collabs like a 1-800-HOTLINEBLING beach towel.

💡 Insight - I actually find this virtual mansion (that part is not powered by Shopify, btw) deeply annoying to browse. Whenever you click an item it opens a page outside of the environment, kind of ruining the effect. It’s much easier to see all the items here. I think virtual experiences work much better when everything, including checkout, can happen within the immersive experience. I’m sure if you’re a big Drake fan you’re pretty happy to click through his virtual home, though.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#2 -🪝 50 TikTok ad hooks to try

📰 TL;DR - Here’s a useful file being offered by Fraser Cottrell, an e-commerce ad creative. It contains 50 hooks you can use for TikToks, whether ads or not (which can become Reels!). They’re pretty solid and yes, I did RT/comment/follow and actually see the file. Some you may have seen before but it’s definitely a handy list if you’re short on ideas.

💡 Insight - I know, I know — the proliferation of files that require a like/follow/comment/RT seems to be getting a bit out of hand. This is a useful one though! I’ll also note that Social Savannah often tweets out her best hooks, with examples, if you want even more.

➡️ You can read the post here...

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

#3 - 📐 This AI measurement tool could be a gamechanger

📰 TL;DR - A startup based in Germany has built a new AI-powered tool for apparel sizing, called Sizekick. It works one of two ways. The first is that customers can select a digital human they feel best matches their own body shape. The second is cooler — you use your smartphone to scan your body and the app determines your best size. Ideally, this would have two effects — boosting customer confidence that they bought the right size, and, assuming it all works, reducing returns due to incorrect sizing.

💡 Insight - This is a very cool use of AI and the kind of application we love to see amid the AI boom. I gave it a try on one of the sites it’s currently active on and it’s pretty neat. A pop-up asks for your sex, height, weight, and age, then you pick from some 3D body models to find ones that look most like yours. When I did it, it seemed pretty accurate. It really did build confidence that the shape of my body was considered. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find pricing info, it looks like if you’re interested you have to reach out via Sizekick’s website.

➡️ You can read the article here...

#4 - 🛠️ Things worth checking out

🤖 SHOPIFY - Here’s a closer look at how Shopify is leaning heavily into AI.

🍃 CANNABIS - With restrictions loosening, cannabis e-commerce is becoming a thing in the US, like this NY-based brand.

‼️ TRENDS - Here’s the latest roundup of DTC trends, movers, and shakers from AdAge.

🤔 SUBSCRIPTIONS - This piece and video have some advice for optimizing a subscription model for your brand.

 POST-PURCHASE - Here are 11 post-purchase retention tactics to study and use.

#5 - 💸 Break out the deals

📰 TL;DR - According to this report, shoppers are seriously on the hunt for a good deal these days. Amid inflation, shoppers are more loyal to their bottom line than brands. 27% said they’d be happy to switch brands to get a good deal. So you’ve got to offer a good deal. This is going to be especially true for back-to-school, where overall spending is expected to be down. That said, people are still spending overall, they’re just being pickier when they do.

💡 Insight - I wouldn’t read this as you should be offering your best deals right now. I’ve read research that shows people consciously wait for big purchases on known sale days, like Black Friday—Cyber Monday. Which, by the way, you should already be planning for! Rather, keep up things like 10% off for an email or SMS sign-up and keep on top of researching your competition’s pricing to make sure you’re the best option.

➡️ You can read the article here...