Wednesday, Jan 29

Author

Crys A.
January 29, 2025

In partnership with

 

 In today’s newsletter 

  • What the Top 1% of DTC Brands Do Differently With Cart Abandonment

  • Double Your Referral Revenue in One Chat

  • How Two Brands Sell the Same Product (Very Differently)

  • DTC Playbook: Away's Social Media Strategy

  • Scaling Creative: The Secret to Winning in 2025

  • Is UGC Dead?

  • Latest News: Meta’s Reality Labs Beat Sales Targets by 40% in 2024 & more…

    Let's Dive Into It! 👇

What the Top 1% of DTC Brands Do Differently With Cart Abandonment

Ibrahim Masood - DTC Growth and Retention Expert

Happy Wednesday!

Most brands treat cart abandonment like an unavoidable loss. The top 1%? They treat it like free money just waiting to be claimed.

Here’s what they do differently:

  1. They Don’t Wait—They Strike Fast

    Most brands send a recovery email 24 hours later. By then, the customer has moved on. The best brands send a first reminder within an hour or two at max—when the intent is still high. This single tweak can recover up to 25% more abandoned carts.

  2. They Personalize, Not Generalize

    A generic “You left something behind” email? Weak. High-performing brands make their messages feel personal:

    • Use the shopper’s first name

    • Show the exact product they abandoned

    • Mention an emotion tied to the purchase (e.g., "Your cozy winter jacket is still waiting for you!")

  3. They Don’t Overuse Discounts

    Most brands panic and throw out a discount right away. The best brands? They only offer discounts as a last resort—and they test alternatives like free shipping, bonuses, or urgency driven copy first.

  4. They Turn One Sale Into a Lifetime Customer

    Recovering the sale is just step one. The top brands ensure that post-purchase emails, upsells, and loyalty programs turn that first purchase into repeat business.

Here’s the Real Problem

Most DTC brands don’t have the right system in place. They either send weak, outdated cart recovery emails—or they’re missing high impact opportunities completely.

If you want a battle-tested abandoned cart strategy that actually works (without spending hours testing on your own), I built something for you: The Cart Recovery Playbook 🚀

  • Plug-and-play abandoned cart flow templates

  • Step-by-step breakdown of advanced strategies to recover 35% of the lost sales

  • Works with any email platform

  • Curated list of top email inspiration sources

  • Costs less than what you’re losing in cart abandonment every day

💡 Get instant access for just $20 today ($49)

Double Your Referral Revenue in One Chat

Hey there! I’m a referral marketing nerd obsessed with building programs that unlock real value.

  • I’ve studied all the best cases (like Harry’s) + worked with 300+ Shopify plus brands

  • Helped companies build “referral armies” driving 10% of revenue (most only get 2%)

  • This year alone, I’ve generated over $5M in referral transactions.

Give me 15 minutes, and I’ll show you how to tap into your customers’ networks. Plus, I’ll buy you lunch ($20 UberEats voucher)!

How Two Brands Sell the Same Product (Very Differently)

Kaushal Pratap - DTC Owner

What’s the best way to sell your product—social proof or a hands-on demo? 
Manscaped and Freebird both sell the same type of product, but their ads couldn’t be more different. One relies on reviews and trust. The other highlights ease of use. Which strategy converts better?

DTC Playbook: Away's Social Media Strategy

Hana Moosa - Content Marketing Expert

Welcome back to the DTC Playbook!


Yesterday, we took a deep dive into Away’s Meta Ads strategy and how they drive conversions.

Today, we’re shifting focus to Social Media Strategy—one of the most powerful tools for building brand awareness and engagement.

Let’s get into it!

Away isn’t just selling luggage—they’re selling a lifestyle. Their social media strategy transforms travel essentials into aspirational must-haves.

Here’s what DTC brands can learn from their approach:

1. Curated Visual Feed

Strategy:

  • Utility and Exaggeration: Away emphasizes the practicality and uniqueness of their limited edition bags through visually striking content.

  • Aspirational Imagery: They craft scenarios that are both aspirational and slightly exaggerated, like using their bag as inspiration for a manicure to captivate their audience.

2. Engagement through Unique Content

Would you ever hang your suitcase or take it surfing? Away does. Their aspirational content isn’t just eye-catching—it invites creators to engage and generate UGC, reinforcing their brand personality.

3. Messaging Consistency

Since 2016, Away has hammered home one message: quality luggage that lasts. Their ASMR-style color reveal videos heighten anticipation, making new releases feel like a must-have experience.

4. Nostalgic and Relatable Content

Away collaborates with cartoonists to turn travel struggles into humor—like the last-minute cardio rush to the gate, starring their iconic bags. This storytelling keeps the brand relatable and shareable..

5.  Subtle (But Effective) Upgrade Reminders

Away’s socials are obsessed with limited editions—creating urgency and a reason for their audience to upgrade their existing luggage.

⭐ Bonus: Mix of High and Low Production Content

Not all their content is high production. Here is a video of their offer, which is shot on a phone with just a cutout of their employee. Fun, engaging, and possible by any brand.

🔑 Takeaways

✅ Be Visual – Make your product pop with creative and unexpected visuals.
✅ Add Humor – Nostalgia and relatable humor = instant connection.
✅ Mix It Up – Blend high-end content with lo-fi, authentic posts for a well-rounded strategy.

Away proves that social media isn’t just about showcasing a product—it’s about making it feel like a must-have experience.

Scaling Creative: The Secret to Winning in 2025

David makes a great point about creative at scale—but here’s the thing: it’s not just about volume; it’s about building momentum.

Creative is your compounding asset. The more you test, the faster you learn, and the sharper your team gets at producing content that actually works. This isn’t just for ads either. The best DTC brands right now are weaving this creative into their emails, SMS, and even product pages.

If your creative system isn’t set up to keep pace with your ambitions, you’re bottlenecking growth. Invest in teams who can produce, iterate, and optimize relentlessly. And don’t forget—speed is a strategy, but consistency wins the game.

2025 is going to be rewarding for those who build for the long haul.

Is UGC Dead?

Sai Teja - Paid Ads Expert

There’s been a lot of chatter lately about User-Generated Content (UGC), with claims like:

  • Over saturation leading to declining engagement

  • Quality control issues

  • “Authenticity” feeling too commercialized

Triple Whale even reports that many big brands are losing money by betting on mega influencers.

But here’s the thing: this doesn’t hold true for many small and mid-sized brands.
Especially the ones I’m working with.

While I’m not here to flex million-dollar UGC numbers, I can share this:
We scaled ad spends from $50 to $250 per day in a matter of weeks, thanks to UGC ads.

The secret?
Micro and nano influencers are still killing it.

Here’s why:

  • Their content is engaging. It doesn’t feel “polished” or salesy, which makes it scroll-stopping.

  • They build trust and authenticity. Their audiences see them as relatable, which drives conversions.

  • They deliver clicks at a cost-effective rate. This keeps your ROAS high and CAC low.

So, while big brands might struggle with declining returns from UGC, smaller DTC brands can still harness its power in a big way.

If you’re convinced that UGC isn’t dead—and that it can still crush it for your brand in 2025—then I’ve got something for you.

Introducing: A Detailed UGC Playbook for DTC Brands

Inside this free presentation, you’ll discover:
✅ 5 Reasons Why UGC Ads Are Crushing It for DTC Brands
✅ Actionable Steps to Master UGC
✅ Real Test Results Backing Every Insight

Don’t sleep on this—UGC ads might just be the game-changer your brand needs for 2025. 🚀

📰IN THE NEWS

Meta's Reality Labs division exceeded its 2024 sales and user targets, achieving a 40% growth in sales. This success was driven by the popularity of products like the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and the Quest virtual-reality headsets.

Threads is testing spoiler tags and post templates to enhance user experience. Spoiler tags will let users hide sensitive or plot-revealing content, while post templates provide structured formats for creating engaging posts.

Google's AI Overviews now appear in 74% of problem-solving searches, offering AI-generated summaries instead of traditional search results. This shift impacts how users find information, reducing clicks to external websites.

Have any questions that you need help with?

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

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